Rick Minor is a Florida politician and policy adviser who is running for the Florida House of Representatives

Florida House of Representatives

The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...

 as a member of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. He resides in Tallahassee, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

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Before beginning his campaign for the state legislature, he was the Chairman of the Leon County

Leon County, Florida

Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...

 Democratic Party from 2005 to 2009, and was one of the 27 Florida electors for Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 in the 2008 Presidential Election

United States presidential election, 2008

The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...

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Personal life and education

Minor has a bachelors degree in business, and earned his Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 Kennedy School of Government.

He was married to Jessica Lowe-Minor in October of 2009.

Career

From 2005 to 2009, Rick Minor was the Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party. During this time, the county took up massive efforts in voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. Leon County boasted the highest turnout in the state during the 2006 and 2008 elections. Minor resigned as chair when he began his campaign for the Florida legislature.

In June 2009, Rick Minor announced he was challenging Democratic incumbent Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda

Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda

Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda is an attorney and community college professor living in Tallahassee, Florida.Vasilinda was born in Rochester, New York and is a Democratic politician who serves as the member of the Florida House of Representatives from District 9. Vasilinda came to Florida in 1977...

 in the August 24th Democratic Primary for Florida House District 9. He cited is primary reason as Vasilinda's 2009 votes to approve oil drilling off the coast of Florida, only one of two democrats to do so. Minor has promised to not to take any funds from oil companies during the election and is pledging to run a "carbon neutral campaign" as well. The issue of drilling has become a much greater focus in Florida in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Deepwater Horizon oil spill

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...

, with the race picking up state-wide and national media attention.

Another issue that has become a focus in the race is the candidates' opposing views on the Equal Rights Amendment, which Minor supports and Vasilinda does not. Minor has been endorsed by the Florida National Organization of Women PAC as well as the Business & Professional Women of Florida PAC; and by former United States Attorney General

United States Attorney General

The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...

 Janet Reno

Janet Reno

Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...

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