Thanks for checking out the FLCAN top picks for the 2020 Election.

In 2018, the race between Governor Rick Scott and incumbent Bill Nelson for US Senator was decided by less than 11,000 votes. Out of the millions of votes cast, only a mere 10K plus votes sent a long time incumbent home and made Rick Scott our US Senator.

When every vote is counted, the movement to end Cannabis prohibition only wins if the candidate with the most votes is pro-Cannabis. To that end, since 2012, the Florida Cannabis Action Network has spent precious resources calling candidates to poll them on their attitudes about Cannabis.

During the legislative session and between elections, the Florida CAN team helps me track lawmakers’ statements about Cannabis, document their attitudes, and, of course, support or oppose legislation that impacts Cannabis consumers.

You can click here to see how we rated the 2020 General Election Candidates for the Florida House and Senate.

The FLCAN Legislative Committee members make every effort to reach every candidate for the Florida House and Senate. Most don’t respond. We are not donating money to the campaigns, so they may see our endorsement as less valuable or not relevant. If the candidate didn’t respond and no public statements were found they get a big:

NI = No Information

Several years ago we settled on a rating system for candidates and elected Florida House and Senate members. Our Leaf Rating goes like this:

5-Leaf or 5Q? Incumbents have a rating based on their voting record, their public comments, and the private conversations we have with them. Candidates have a score based on the answers they gave to our questionnaire. Those ratings are followed by a Q. For example, Ken Wiley running as a Libertarian in Florida House District 18 has been a friend to FLCAN for more than a decade. HE is a solid 5-LEAF candidate; Yvonne Hays Henson is marked 5Q because she self-identified as a supporter of legalization and said she plans to introduce pro-Cannabis bills. Yvonne was elected to Florida House District 20, so we look forward to big things from her!

If you have followed FLCAN for a while you know our legislative team is second to none. Each year a variety of advocates join us in Tallahassee to help educate lawmakers about the benefits of Cannabis and the harms of prohibition. Leaf rating may change from year-to-year as we get to know new lawmakers better, follow legislation, and watch the debate as bills move through committees each year. That day-to-day interaction with lawmakers before and during Session in Tallahassee costs the organization more than 40% of its annual budget and each of our volunteers’ time and money.

When you review our candidate review, remember, we cannot trade a solid “three-leaf incumbent” for a perspective “four or five-leaf candidate” very often. There are many factors that feed into every race. Our recommendations are NOT a commentary on the candidate’s opinions on ANY OTHER issue, nor are they an analysis of the candidate’s ability to WIN!

In most races, the Pro-Cannabis vote may not change the outcome of the race this time, but it just might. In 2012, then pro-Cannabis Florida House member Jeff Clemens won his Senate seat by less than 26 votes. Senator Clemens introduced pro-Cannabis every year until he resigned.

If you have information about one of these lawmakers or are a candidate on the ballot in 2020 please contact our office. Send a message to Info(@sign)FLCAN.org if you would like to add links to our database.