Orlando's Democratic 10th District primary heats up in final hours

Jack Achenbach, one of ten Democratic candidates for U.S. House of Representatives in Florida's 10th District, has waged a generally positive campaign for Congress but in the closing days of the campaign, he unleashed a sharp reproach on several of his competitors in the August 23 primary election.

Among the measures to help ease Americans’ financial burdens that Achenbach said he supports are decreasing gas prices by investing in our nation's energy independence; eliminating bank fees that disproportionately burden lower- and middle-income people; creating jobs by investing in domestic microchip manufacturing and alternative energies, providing land grants to farmers; decreasing healthcare costs by encouraging cross-state health insurance competition.

A pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants would prevent corporations from diluting wages, according to Achenbach, who also said decreasing student loan interest rates would ease the financial burden on young Americans entering the labor force.

Achenbach called for legalizing marijuana but his remarks about several of his rivals were anything but mellow.

Achenbach called state Senator Randolph Bracy, "another career politician who seems to be trying to make the big bucks off of the good people of Florida" and he excoriated former US Rep. Corrine Brown for her 2017 criminal conviction "on 18 of 22 corruption charges ranging from mail fraud to filing a false federal tax return."

The most penetrative criticism from Achenbach was reserved for the youngest candidate, who is also the one with the biggest campaign war chest, as if the financial disparity gave license to deconstruct the corrupt candidate.

"Maxwell Frost is a 25-year-old professional activist who, according to his LinkedIn (profile), has never held a real job despite oxymoronically advocating on behalf of hardworking Americans and Union members," said Achenbach. "Frost has raised over $1.2 million dollars in donations, yet a quick glance at his FEC records shows that nearly 70% of donations come from out of state."

FEC reports show that Frost and the billionaire-financed super PAC that is supporting him are on track to spend a total of almost $4 million. Crypto billionaire Samuel Bankman-Fried poured $35 million into super PACs, making him one of the top donors, according to the Federal Election Commission; and has said he may spend anywhere from $100 million to $1 billion influencing the 2024 election.

Achenbach's comments came only days before a previously undisclosed list of all Frost contributors surfaced, showing that of the 6572 contributions to his campaign, only 46 of people who donated money actually reside in Florida's 10th Congressional District.

"While Frost claims that his supporters consist of nurses, teachers, and other blue-collar workers, the vast majority (of his donors) do not live in or represent the values of District #10 or even those of Floridians at large," said Achenbach, in a statement published four days before Frost's donor database surfaced. "Sadly, Frost does not appear interested in representing the constituents of District #10 as evidenced by his hasty public appearances."

The list showed that more people living in California donated to Frost than Florida residents.

"To make matters worse, when Frost does not attend an event, his representatives are quick to explain that he is busy fundraising in other states, which can be substantiated by observing his many travel expenses outlined in his FEC file," said Achenbach.

"Finally, despite touting himself as a 'bold change' Frost is supported and endorsed by the very same career politicians who have introduced national stagnation—both socially and politically— that has left Americans distraught, divided, and desperate," said Achenbach. "Frost’s desire to be, in his own words, 'the next AOC' indicates that he is far more interested in being the next political Kardashian than the next visionary FDR."

Achenbach further accused Frost of "advocating on behalf of old and unoriginal ideas that have never grown larger than a call to action for politicians to garner votes and donations."

Among the local contributors to Frost were: Bianca Beckwith, Christine L Jones and Tressa Paul of Apopka; Jochua Cora Santiago and Charline Kennedy of Belle Isle; plus Terri Falbo of Ocoee.

Orlando residents Haley Bartle, Mary Basham, Randy Brown, Daphney Burks, Suzanne Costner, Jim Cundiff, Barbara Dell'Arena, Maritza Frost, Jill Giese, Regina Hellinger, Corey Hill, Barbara Kercher, Khaled Khuda, Elaine Kliner, Ramon Lezama, Luz Macarthur, Alexandra McCoy, Brendan Ramirez, Nilsa Rezzonico, Joanie Schirm, Karen Sutherland, Molly Waldeck also gave some money to Frost’s campaign.

Ramona Angell, Shakeel Anjum, Glen Barclay, Martin Bird, Melody Elliott, Rosa Mills, Harold Mills, Pam Whigham all of Windermere; plus Winter Garden residents Laura Arpin, Pamela Camboia, Gerardo Castaldo, Douglas Duffy, Kelly McDermott, Melanie Mecca, Reyna Olivo, Stephanie Suazo, and Richard Yarnell round out the list of local Frost donors.

All the rest of his funding came from people who cannot vote for the young candidate and have no real interest in the election for the representative who will replace Val Demings in Congress.

Achenbach, Frost, Bracy, and Brown are running in a crowded Democratic Primary against former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, financial executive Jeff Boone, the Rev. Terence Gray, civil rights lawyer Natalie Jackson, businessman Khalid Muneer and teacher Teresa Tachon.

Frost and Bracy blamed Grayson for some anonymous text messages without any proof that his campaign was behind those communications, which shared some unsavory sexual misconduct about Frost.

After the young contender fired off a series of negative attacks on Grayson, the former congressman did respond with advertising about the shadowy cryptocurrency billionaire who is financing much of the Frost campaign but his spokesperson denied any involvement with the messages highlighting his inappropriate sexual behavior.

On top of his accomplishments in Congress, where he was identified as the most productive member of the House, Grayson has focused his campaign on his plan to fight inflation with, "Lower Tolls, Lower Taxes, Lower Rent" and he has made himself available to answer questions in numerous venues, including a sit-down interview with FOX 35's John Brown.