Christopher Proia – Florida – State Senate District 33
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
I’m a proud native Southwest Floridian. I have always held blue-collar jobs. Currently, I work as a truck driver for a landscape installation crew. I gained an interest in politics after seeing our nation’s working-class people struggle to earn a decent living as affordability sharply declines.
Why are you running for office?
I’m running for several reasons. First and foremost, I want to make sure that everybody can afford to live and take care of themselves. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness were promised to us in the Declaration of Independence, and today’s politicians seem to have forgotten that. Secondly, I want to inspire the next group of individuals to run and start getting involved earlier. Many don’t believe that they should be interested in politics, but I like to remind them that their bosses, landlords, and all the robber barons have deep political interests and are more than happy to let the common person believe that they don’t need to be interested. I am also running to protect our marginalized neighbors. Extremist right-wing politicians will do anything to distract from the fact that their rich donors are doing so well these days that they continually attack human rights, so we’re not focused on making the system fairer for everyday working-class people.
What are the three biggest issues facing your community?
Income Inequality, Environmental Concerns, and Human Rights Violations
How do you propose to solve those problems?
When I’m in office, I plan to work with my fellow senators to pass as much progressive legislation as possible. I will use my network of people to make sure not only SWFL, but all of Florida, gets back on track to be the great state I know it can be.
What is your stance on environmental and climate concerns that are facing your community?
Between rising sea levels, more frequent and dangerous hurricanes, and toxic algae blooms, Florida has several environmental concerns that require the attention of people who know and trust in science. I plan on not only being informed by the best people but also taking swift and decisive action to mitigate the damage corporations have done to our environment.
What commonsense gun safety measures would have the most impact on your community?
I believe that we should enact stronger background checks and close the gun loopholes to ensure weapons of war stay out of the hands of people that are unqualified to have them. I will be working with groups such as Mom’s Demand Action to monitor the actions we’ve taken and what is or isn’t working and to keep the best policies in place.
How would criminal justice reforms impact your community?
As the U.S. sits on the top of the chart for the number of people in prison, it’s painfully clear the war on drugs and our punitive jail systems are an abject failure. A reformed criminal justice system that matches gains made in reducing income inequality would mean our community would thrive and grow not only in wealth but in happiness and satisfaction.
How would you work to protect a woman’s reproductive health?
I will do all I can to make sure a woman’s reproductive health decisions are made between that woman and her doctor without any governmental influence.
What measures would you advocate to ensure that your constituents have the right to vote?
I would focus on progressive policies that aim to expand access to voting and make it easier for people to vote. These measures include things like automatic voter registration, early voting, mail-in voting, and same-day voter registration. I believe that everyone should have the right to vote and that it should be as easy as possible for people to exercise that right.
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