Democrat Andrea Doria Kale Now Fighting Two Races

SARASOTA – Andrea Doria Kale, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House seat from Florida’s 17th District, was among thousands of Floridians who lost their homes to Hurricane Ian. Now she’s fighting two challenges: one to unseat Rep. Greg Steube and one to get her home repaired.

Kale, of North Port in southern Sarasota County, lived in an area that was never placed under mandatory evacuation. So she hunkered down to wait out the storm as roads remained unnavigable until several days after the Category 4 hurricane made landfall. She eventually wound up in a Clearwater hotel, 85 miles from her home and the district she hopes to represent. Meanwhile, her insurers cannot agree who’s going to cover what damage. “I am still very much in the race, but it has been tough,” Kale said.

JoAnne DeVries, Chair of the Sarasota County Democratic Party, said Kale’s plight, like that of thousands of other Floridians who have had their lives devastated by Ian, threw into sharp relief the need for voters to change their representatives in Sarasota, Tallahassee, and Washington. “Republican Greg Steube actually bragged about his no vote on the infrastructure bill passed by the House last November,” DeVries said. It was ironic, she said, that legislation Steube called “dangerous” will now go to help thousands of Floridians rebuild their lives and communities devastated by Hurricane Ian. “Andrea Doria Kale understands the threat of climate change and offers voters a clear alternative to Steube, a climate and election-denier,” said DeVries.

DeVries noted that just days before Ian made landfall in his district, Steube voted “no” on a short-term spending bill that would have funded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with an additional $19 billion. The bill passed anyway, thanks to Democratic votes. The day after Ian struck, President Biden granted a “major disaster declaration,” unlocking billions of dollars from the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund.

Andrea Doria Kale can be contacted at https://www.andreadoriakale.com/
andreadoria@andreadoriakale.com