So, It's Jacques Rene Gaillot, Jr Vs Ted Yoho

A Stearns ad that backfired (l), J.R. Gaillot (r)

A few months ago I got a call from a candidate I hadn't heard of, JR Gaillot-- Jacques Rene Gaillot Jr-- and he old me he got my number from Alan Grayson. OK, any friend of Alan's... It turned out, though. that JR was running in FL-03, a sprawling red district in north-central Florida west of Jacksonville. It mostly corresponds to the old 6th district, which McCain won 56-43%. Except the new boundaries are even worse; McCain would have won this one 59-40%. And although Cliff Stearns, the incumbent JR had decided to take on, is one of the most disliked Members of Congress, he is also one of the best financed Members, sitting on millions of dollars in corporate bribes. And Stearns may be known as a douchebag nationally, he always wins by large margins-- unopposed in 2010, with 61% in 2008, and with 60% in 2006. The only county he ever loses in is Alachua, home of the University of Florida (Gainesville), and a hunk of that was cut out of the district this year and is now part of the new 5th CD. I suspect Grayson has as much disdain for Stearns as I do but this didn't look like a promising race to get involved with. But I talked with JR and he seemed like an OK guy with decent positions on all the issues. But was he going to take down Cliff Stearns? Not in my opinion.

But what do I know? Come primary night and a crazy right-wing veterinarian, Ted Yoho, edges Stearns out of his career. It will go down as one of the biggest shocks of the primary season this year, way up there with the ignominious ends of Richard Lugar (R-IN), Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA), Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Mean Jean Schmidt (R-OH) and Don Manzullo (R-IL). Because of the demographics of the district, Yoho is favored to win in November but it's not as open and shut a case as it seemed before. I asked JT to write a guest post on his path to victory, back before Yolo took out Stearns for him. It's mostly right from his campaign website, which has a lot to do with why I didn't run it. But now, people are more interested in knowing just who he is anyway:

Path To Victory

-by JR Galliot

Known to his family as “Rene” or “Ti Rene” (Little Rene), Jacques Rene Gaillot Jr, was born in New York City and is fluent in English, French, Haitian Creole and conversational Spanish. When his parents separated, his mother stayed in New York, and J.R. began his world travels with his father. His father, a Haitian diplomat, worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His career led to promotions as Consul General in Hamburg, Germany, as well as Tokyo, Japan. Eventually, J.R. moved to Haiti to live with his grandmother Therese. After two years away from JR, his father resigned and returned to Haiti to spend more time with his son.

As a child, J.R. was greatly influenced by his grandmother’s and father’s beliefs and actions. Once when traveling with his dad to St. Marc, they stopped to check on a piece of land owned by a family friend. The property manager lived on the land in a 400 square foot hut with his wife and 3 children. He barely had enough food to feed his family, but offered to share their meal. His father respected the goodwill and gesture offered by the stranger by sharing the meal with them and explained to J.R.
the importance of this act.

J.R. graduated from Quisqueya Christian School (QCS) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and attended the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT, earning a degree in Politics and Government. “QCS gave me the best foundation to prepare me for college and life back home in the United States.”

The political bug started when he interned for Senator Lowell P. Weicker Jr, during his gubernatorial run. Amid driving duties for the Senator’s wife Claudia, he soon became the only intern attending major fundraisers, where he eventually met Ivan Lendl. His varied experience includes working in Criminal Justice as a Counselor setting up halfway houses, working for ATT Broadband, Verizon Wireless and Citigroup, as well as self-employment. J.R knows first-hand the struggles of operating his own small business. He has also volunteered on numerous political campaigns throughout the United States.

“Business owners are an integral part of our economic stability. Access to credit and capital is a major issue for small business owners, we need to cut the massive amount of red tape that is involved in order to help small business owners expand and hire."

We have a duty as human beings, and public servants, to do what is right; God wants us to do the right thing no matter what religion we are. And even if you don’t believe, something inside of you tells you what is right and what is wrong.

I am not part of the millionaire club that runs our country. I am an everyday American, who like you knows what its like to have bills. I know what its like to struggle to pay these bills. There are times in my life I have had to decide which bill to pay first. I've cut coupons in the newspaper, and I will almost always argue for a discount… It just makes me human.

Yes If I am elected I will be in a much better position financially, but I will not forget where I came from. I have own my own business, I have worked for a Fortune 100 company, and it’s sad to see what greed has done to our country. Unlike so many members of the DC fraternity that I hope to soon join; who feel they get paid too little, for me that salary is plenty. Money is important because we live in a society that demands it, but we can’t take it with us. I pledge to use that position to enrich the lives of others.

Someone recently asked me what does happiness means to me? Happiness is knowing my family, my children: are healthy and ok, and the other thing that makes me happy is knowing I did something, like improve a law, change a single or many rules that give a person an opportunity to do something for a friend, a family member and most of all a total stranger. We live in a world; we live in a country that pressures us into judging others, The United States of America, Let us unite and do great things together. I don’t expect to please everyone, some will never consider voting for me because of the color of my skin, others will have a problem because I am Haitian American, others won’t like the shirt or tie I wear that day, others won’t vote for me because of the party I may be affiliated with.

As your congressman, if you give me that honor, I will work just as hard for those who did not vote for me as I do for those who do vote for me. When you call my office, and you need help, I want you to tell my staff you are not a supporter, but you live in the district, and you will be helped to my full abilities.

I pledge to use all available resources on your behalf. Honor me with your support, and I will honor you with my dedication, my listening, my resolve and my commitment to never forget that I work for you, the people.

I am not perfect, I am certain I will make mistakes, but I will own up to them as soon as I realize the error of my ways. A great American leader once said, “All Politics is Local." I like Local!

Politics is a gift, it’s an honor, and it’s a responsibility to represent all not just a select few.