District 9 includes the southern half of Alachua County (everything south of State Roads 26 and 24) as well as all of Marion and Levy counties.
Incumbent Republican state senator Keith Perry can’t run again due to term limits. With only one Republican and one Democrat competing for this open seat, this race only appears on the November ballot.
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News4Jax sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.
Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are published exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE |
Sylvain Dore
Occupation: Retired Brain Doctor & Tenured Professor in Anesthesiology, Neurology, Pharmaceutics, Neuroscience at the University of Florida College of Medicine
Age: 57
Family: Single
Education: BS Biochemistry 1998, MS Pharmacology 1990, PhD Medicine 1994, Postdoc Psychiatry 1996, Postdoc Neuroscience 1999, Certificate Leadership & Management 2007
Political experience: For years, I have done community service through my various positions. The last one was the President-Elect of the University of Florida Faculty Senate and a Member of the Board of Trustees 2019-2022.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. Executing actions to increase affordable housing/rent and house/car insurance while starting to address homeless issues and reduce stress and mental health.
2. Expanding Medicare, Reproductive Rights, Health Insurance, Clinical and VA Facilities, and Specialist affordable access.
3. Creating Daycare @ $12-14/day, Increasing recruitment, diversity, respect, and salaries for teachers, and Paying people who stay home to take care of elderly or disabled people.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
My background in Public Health and Education will become essential on the floor of the Florida State Senate as a large proportion of the budget is allocated to these priorities. I listen with empathy and promise to work with all relevant stakeholders to present bipartisan bills that are no-brainers. I will demand accountability and transparency from the DeSantis administration, restore proper funding for the arts, and fight for safety and environmental sustainability and quality of life.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
Creating Daycare programs for every parent in Florida that provide a safe and stimulating environment for maximizing the kids’ brain development will give them the opportunities to be ahead while allowing the parents the means to pursue their American Dream. Such daycare is also a great tool to attract and recruit the best candidates for essentially all positions, as I have seen with my bipartisan work on expanding BabyGator. I will be someone who is available to listen and work with ALL my constituents with no-brainer bills addressing what they need, not only the needs of large donors. I hope to restore confidence in the legislative process so that everyone feels that the government works for them (and not the opposite) with respect and dignity.
Campaign website: www.sylvaindore.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X
Stan McClain
Occupation: Member, Florida House of Representatives, 2016 to present
The Republican incumbent has not yet responded to email and phone invitations to complete the News4JAX candidate questionnaire. If responses are e
Campaign website: stanmcclain.com