In Southwest Florida's Congressional District 19, a race is heating up between Republican incumbent Byron Donalds, seeking his third term, and Democratic nominee Kari Lerner. While both candidates acknowledge environmental challenges as crucial issues, their approaches to solutions — and their broader political visions — differ significantly.
For Lerner, water quality stands as a deeply personal concern. "The first year I was home, I cried every time I went across the river. I looked at the water and saw that our representatives from local to county to state to federal, were doing absolutely nothing to protect the water, the navigable waters," she said.
Congressman Donalds, however, advocates for a more market-conscious environmental strategy. "We just want to make sure that we have clean water here in Southwest Florida," he says. "Typically people on the left side of politics want to have very stringent environmental policies. Well, what that also breeds is increasing the costs of building products which goes directly into housing. So, I think we need to actually re-examine a lot of our environmental policies federally."
The candidates' differing views also extend to economic policy. Donalds, drawing from his professional background, champions free-market principles: "My career was finance and banking and so economic policy, capital markets, free markets, that's what drives me."
Lerner advocates for what she sees as a more balanced approach: "I don't believe in forced income distribution. I do believe in paying your fair share. We need an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few."
Despite sharp policy differences, the candidates emphasize their commitment to bipartisan cooperation. Lerner expands the thought: "I think that you have to calm the rhetoric, and you have to be able and willing to speak with whomever you need to get the job done. I think it can be done. It will be hard. So what? Anything that's worthwhile is hard."
For more information on voting, residents can visit Leecountyelections.com.
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