Lopez and Montavon will face off in the Aug. 20 primary.
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: August 2, 2024
Host: It’s been a while since the Democrats have fielded two candidates for Congress in this area. But here are Manny Lopez and Matt Montavon, offering registered Democrats in Sarasota a choice on Aug. 20 to pick their favorite to go against Greg Steube, the Republican incumbent.
Johannes Werner: Greg Steube has followed a culture-war heavy agenda in Congress, and he is popular among the Republican MAGA base. But his focus on divisive issues makes him a target, prompting not just one but two Democrats to challenge Steube.
So who are they? Matt Montavon is a widower, with two adult children. He has a history in public administration, working in urban and regional planning for local, regional and national organizations. Most recently, he worked for 26 years for the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization in Rome, supporting programs to fight hunger and support agriculture. He is now retired, and he has dedicated part of his time to the Democratic Party. He chairs the local Hispanic Caucus. His website is bilingual, and he proudly displays a photo of himself marching with farmworkers. Here’s how he says he will beat Steube:
Matt Montavon
Matt Monatvon: I think the majority of the people in this district want clean water. They want a woman’s right to choose. They want gun safety. And they want to protect our democracy and running on those issues can attract people of all political persuasions to support my candidacy.
JW: Montavon is proud of his track record and experience as a government worker, and says this is what is going to make him an effective Congressman.
MM: I’ve been in government and in bureaucracies pretty much all of my professional life. I know how governments work. I approach things very analytically. I have that experience of working with budgets, of working with audits, working with financial control. I’ve been in negotiations at the county level with the county commission, but as well as helping to draft papers at the international level. I’ve been involved in negotiations for the conditions of service for staff as a representative of the Federation of International Civil Servants, discussing with the UN the conditions of service. I have those negotiations, those diplomatic, those analytical skills. That will make me an effective congressperson.
JW: Meanwhile, Manny Lopez has found a variety of ways of making a living, ranging from teaching to selling real estate. A native of Key West, he has lived in Florida and Texas. He is former US Army combat engineer, he has been executive director of a chamber of commerce, he ran for state office, and he was a school board member. He describes himself as “from the people and for the people” and as a fighter and someone who doesn’t easily get flustered. He says he takes unpopular decisions but follows through – such as advocating with local Democrats that it was time for Joe Biden to step down. Here’s how he says he will beat Steube:
Manny Lopez
Manny Lopez: He’s got a voting record that is abysmal, and it’s a matter of making people aware of his voting record. And as I go through talking to the different coffee shops and things like that, I go into Republican areas, and talk to Republicans. And I try to identify them as well, and that’s harder to do because they’re not organized and they don’t … they’re not in a group or anything like that. But as I talk to them, and they become aware of his voting record, they get turned off. They don’t like his voting record. It sometimes takes a couple of times to talk to them because the first time they don’t believe it. And I tell them, look. Go on his website. It’s there. And because he probably talks about his terrible votes, and when I see him again, they said I was right. And they were surprised, and they’re upset. So it’s an education process.
JW: Lopez has raised about $60,000. That’s about $15,000 behind Montavon. But both are far behind Steube, who has raised close to $1.3 million. Historically, the winners in this district have raised more than $2 million. Montavon says he believes he can raise $500,000. Asked about his top issue, Matt Montavon lingered between environmental challenges and access to reproductive health. Also high on his agenda rank voter access and immigration reform. In our interview, he settled on reproductive health.
MM: I think a woman’s right to choose … that had been a right for so many years. And it’s a question of a woman’s health, and it ought to be protected, and most people believe that that is the case. I think very strongly people would be behind that item, and it’s also part of the amendment on the ballot. So a lot of people would be coming out to vote in support of that.
JW: Manny Lopez describes himself as a moderate Democrat. His stump speech includes talk about rebuilding the middle class, going against corporate greed, and securing Medicare and Social Security. In his interview with WSLR, he settled on securing the future of Social Security as his top issue. To do that, he wants to “bust the cap” and make the rich pay their share.
ML: Social Security is the one that I’m pushing hard. And I want to bust the cap of Social Security. And where the wealthy can keep on paying the 6.2% on Social Security tax instead of stopping. Paying at $168,000 and if they did that, benefits can be increased and solvency would be increased several decades, not several decades, many decades. The conservative and liberal think tanks, Cato Institute, The Heritage Foundation, all agreed that if we busted the cap, it would increase benefits and longevity somewhere between 50 to 75 years, depending on how much benefits are increased by.
JW: Again, the primary election is happening Aug. 20; only registered Democrats can vote. The winner will go against Congressman Greg Steube.
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