Former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio aren’t the only Sunshine State contenders to have announced their intent to seek the presidency in 2016. Clearwater trucker John Raffone has also thrown his hat into the ring.
The 50-year-old Miami native doesn’t have a website, but he’s set up a Facebook page that clarifies his stand on 27 different issues. Although a Democrat, some of Raffone’s platform points might be music to conservatives’ ears.
“Revoke all visas from the Middle East area,” he wrote on Facebook. “Secure all the boarders and have our military patrol the areas near Mexico.”
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Raffone, who has been a trucker for about 25 years, is also a proponent of removing lobbyists, setting term limits for judges and members of Congress, and restructuring public schools, among other points.
“I’ve been paying attention (to politics) since I was 11-years-old,” Raffone told Patch. “It’s frustrating to see everybody not doing what’s right for the people.”
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This isn’t Raffone’s first attempt at the White House. The long-distance trucker wanted to file as an Independent in 2008, but he made up his mind to enter the race too late, he said.
“I figured I had a better shot this year,” he said. “I’m an average person that works and I understand what people need out there in the workforce.”
Raffone doesn’t intend to run a traditional campaign either. He’s hoping to use Facebook and Twitter to connect with voters and hear their ideas. His campaign will go with him wherever he is on the road, as well.
“The states that I go through, I’m going to notify the local news media,” he said. “I’ve already done my announcement.”
It’s Raffone’s hope to connect with as many people as possible.
Going up against such heavy hitters as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary might be tough, but Raffone is confident he has a message that ordinary voters want to hear.
“We need to take our country back before someone else does,” he said.
The Democrats, however, don’t seem to want to hear from Raffone.
“It’s a shame when you try to announce your candidacy for president to the National Democratic party (and) they hang up on you,” he tweeted.
Photo courtesy of John Raffone
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