United Teachers of Dade
Endorsements
UTD Endorsements for Miami-Dade School Board
Primary Election Information
- Election Day — Tuesday, August 23, 2022
- Registration Closes — Monday, July 25, 2022
- Early Voting Begins — Monday, August 8, 2022
- Early Voting Ends — Sunday, August 21, 2022
- Vote-by-Mail Ballot Return Deadline — Tuesday, August 23, 2022 (Election Day)
Early Voting Locations & Hours
Election Day Polling Places by Precinct
Your Sample Ballot
Request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot
Miami-Dade
Broward
Primary Endorsements
Charlie Crist for Florida Governor
Punch #35
- Former Florida Governor and Current U.S. Congressman
- A long-standing fighter for Florida’s teachers and students
- Vetoed 2010 legislation that sought to eliminate tenure for newly hired teachers and tie a portion of teacher salaries to test scores
- Fought to save the jobs of 20,000 teachers while cutting taxes for seniors during the Great Recession
- Stopped radical attacks on women’s rights, vetoing laws to restrict a woman’s right to choose
Val Demings for United States Senate
Punch #11
- Current U.S. Congresswoman and former Chief of Orlando Police Department
- Proud graduate of Duval County Public Schools
- Worked for years as a social worker in Jacksonville to protect children in foster homes
- Believes that everyone deserves equal access to quality education regardless of the color of their skin or the zip code they live in
- A tireless champion for public safety, civil rights, and working people
Frederica Wilson for United States Congress
Punch #17
- Proud graduate of Miami-Dade County Public Schools
- Born and raised in Liberty City
- Experienced as a former teacher, administrator, and School Board Member within M-DCPS
- Founder of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program, providing college scholarships to young men from across our community
- Strong advocate for our public schools as a state legislator and as a Member of Congress since 2001
Annette Taddeo for United States Congress
Punch #24
- Small business owner and the first Latina Democrat elected to the Florida Senate, representing the Kendall area
- Her family escaped political persecution by Castro-linked groups in Colombia when she was a teenager
- Strong supporter of legislation to provide additional funding to our public schools
- Seeks to end the flow of money from our public schools to for-profit corporations
- Advocated to end high stakes standardized testing in Florida
Shevrin "Shev" Jones for Florida State Senate
Punch #52
- Born and raised in Miami Gardens (Carol City)
- Longtime West Park resident
- Former Broward Teachers Union member while teaching A.P. Chemistry in Broward County Public Schools
- Served the area as a State Representative from 2013-2018
- Elected to the Florida Senate in 2018
- Fierce supporter of our public schools and criminal justice reform
Christopher Benjamin for Florida State House
Punch #60
- Born and raised in Hollywood, Florida
- U.S. Army Veteran and experienced mediation attorney
- Prioritizes overhauling Florida’s broken unemployment system and supports criminal justice reform
- Advocates for Medicaid expansion in Florida using existing federal funds
- Reliable advocate for Florida public schools and educators
Juan Fernandez-Barquin for Florida State House
Punch #72
- Born and raised in Miami-Dade
- Longtime West Kendall/Hammocks resident and Belen graduate
- Proud FIU graduate and practicing attorney
- Currently a Miami-Dade College Adjunct Professor
- Serves on the Board of Directors of the Hearing and Speech Center of Florida
- Dependable friend of Florida public schools and educators
Dotie Joseph for Florida State House
Punch #64
- Born in Haiti and raised in North Miami
- Proud graduate of M-DCPS
- Founder of the Haitian Student Alliance at Yale and a Georgetown-educated attorney
- Champion for community empowerment and advocate for civil rights
- Prioritizes affordable healthcare and economic development
- Recognized by FEA for her stellar support of public educators during the 2022 legislative session
Ashley Gantt for Florida State House
Punch #66
- Proud graduate of the University of Florida and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
- Served with Teach for America in the Mississippi Delta
- Former M-DCPS teacher and UTD Member
- Nova Southeastern Law School graduate and experienced attorney
- Founded her own civil rights law firm in 2021
- Hopes to apply her own experiences to represent public educators in Tallahassee
Alessandro "A.J." D'Amico for Florida State House
Punch #71
- Born in Miami and raised in Miami Lakes
- Son of a Cuban exile who fled the Castro regime to seek refuge in Hialeah
- Proud Florida State graduate, where he worked as a legislative aide at the Florida Capitol
- University of Florida-educated attorney and experienced civil litigator
- Plans to take up State Rep. Nick Duran’s role as a reliable supporter of public educators once elected
Daniel "Dan" Horton-Diaz for Florida State House
Punch #86
- Raised by his mother, a 40-year public educator
- Worked his way through college to eventually earn his law degree from FIU
- Passed up a lucrative legal career to become a nonprofit leader
- Experienced as legislative staffer in the Florida Senate and Congress
- Proud ally of public educators and public schools
Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall for School Board — District 2
Punch #126
- Seeking re-election to continue serving Northwest Miami-Dade
- Former UTD Member and M-DCPS administrator
- Member of Florida Legislature for many years
- Staunch advocate for public educators and students
- Board member at The Children’s Trust, where she advocates for children across Miami-Dade
Maribel Balbin for School Board — District 4
Punch #131
- Standing for election following the retirement of longtime School Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman
- Parent of UTD Member and consistent UTD ally
- Experienced advocate in Miami-Dade, having let the local League of Women Voters
- Being challenged by candidate pushing extreme culture war agenda by outside interests
Mari Tere Rojas for School Board — District 6
Punch #134
- Seeking re-election to continue serving Little Havana, Key Biscayne, Coral Gables, and South Miami
- Former UTD Member and M-DCPS administrator
- Consistent advocate for UTD members and investments in educator salaries
- Facing challenge by an extreme opponent pushing culture war policies
Dr. Marta Pérez for School Board — District 8
Punch #136
- Seeking re-election to continue serving Little Gables, West Miami, West Kendall, and the Hammocks
- Reliable ally of UTD efforts to invest in salaries and wages of M-DCPS employees
- Receiving challenge from radical candidate pushing extreme culture war positions
- Her opponent even opposes renewing our Teacher Salary and School Safety Referendum
- Hon. Fred Seraphin – Miami-Dade County Court Judge Group 05 (Punch #99)
- Hon. Jeffrey Kolokoff – Miami-Dade County Court Judge Group 19 (Punch #101)
- Hon. Scott Janowitz – Miami-Dade County Court Judge Group 42 (Punch #103)
- Hon. Lody Jean – Circuit Judge Circuit 11/Group 3 (Punch #91)
- Hon. Robert Watson – Circuit Judge Circuit 11/Group 20 (Punch #93)
- Hon. Mark Blumstein – Circuit Judge Circuit 11/Group 34 (Punch #94)
- Hon. Jason Bloch – Circuit Judge Circuit 11/Group 52 (Punch #96)
- Hon. Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts – Circuit Judge Circuit 11/Group 52 (Punch #97)
