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All three of the Democratic candidates challenging Republican U.S. Representative Daniel Webster for his District 11 seat in Congress turned out Saturday at the No Kings rally in Clermont.
VoxPopuli caught up with Barbie Harden Hall, Royal Sylvester Webster II (no relation) and Dan Williams as they talked with voters and collected the requisite petition signatures to qualify for the ballot. The primary will take place Aug. 18. Party-affiliated candidates can qualify either by submitting 2,564 verified signatures or by paying a $10,440 fee (independents need only pay $6,960).
We asked the candidates why it was important for them to come out to the No Kings rally — and what they were hearing from voters. Here’s what they told us.
The Mount Dora mom of four is making her second run for Congress. Harden Hall advocates for children with rare fatal diseases, affordable healthcare, lower prescription drug prices and expanding Medicaid services. She’s gained some notoriety sparring on X with Florida Republican Party Chair Evan Power.
“It's important that we all stand together and show that the people have the power. We have to follow what our Constitution says. And not now, or ever, will there be kings or the power in one person to rule this country.”
"I'm asking everybody that lives in the district, what's your number one issue? What do you wanna see? What's your priority to be taken up in Congress? … It's not just about the chaos that's going on, it's also about building what this community wants. It's basic affordability. It's getting the economy back on track.
“What is very surprising to me — because I thought I would only hear it from big Democratic supporters, but I'm hearing it from Republicans and NPAs (no party affiliation) — is they want to see accountability, not only to the administration, but also to Congress. I think that's why the approval rating is so low. They see people benefiting personally… that are supposed to be serving them, and they're not doing what they want or they need for the people. So they're looking for accountability at all levels of the government."
“It needs to stop. It never should have started.”
A first-time candidate from Winter Garden, the U.S. Army veteran, high-school basketball and volley ball coach and West Orange High School teacher is campaigning on a platform to expand representation in Congress; restore Congressional authority to levy tariffs; fund historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs); create more affordable housing and launch a federal network of childcare facilities similar to public schools.
Webster told VoxPopuli he was at the rally for “building community and solidarity.”
“It’s more important that one of the three of us running win in November than it is for any of us to win in August. So we have to support each other and make sure that we take the career politician out in November. I really believe that this is a very important district for us to flip because they're so comfortable in this district, they don't even campaign here anymore. It's not always about protesting, but it's about what you do after the protest."
"Of course, they mentioned the war that we started in Iran. And ICE is still a thing, and TSA now has become a big issue. But affordability is still number one.
"It's understandable. You look at yourself first and not being able to pay the rent, not being able to live and what they were making two years ago is not enough now. And they don't see any relief or hope. One of the things we have to change first is the affordability of living in Orlando and Central Florida."
“If you're a veteran, you're never for a war ... According to the the president, we obliterated their nuclear capability back in June, and we were in negotiations two days prior to our attack. So if we obliterated and we're in negotiations, why are we attacking them? It's not worth one American life. It's just not.
“We've already lost American lives, and we've lost innocents in Iran. What did those 170 girls do to anybody where they got bombed? And then for him to lie and say he thought it was an Iranian missile that struck them. No, we don't need to go to war for an unjustified reason. … Everything is about power or distraction because those Epstein files still have not been released. ... There's no exit strategy, and the simple fact that they didn't think about the Strait of Hormuz is mind boggling when you talk Iran.”
A Full Sail University professor of computer technology for mobile apps and websites, Williams is a first-time candidate running on a platform to bring democracy directly to voters with a program called Ask America that allows constituents to give real-time feedback to Congressional leaders on issues being debated in Congress.
“I believe it is important for community leaders to be visible at the No Kings protests because we must lead by example. Our job is to amplify the voices of District 11 and make sure that their concerns are heard clearly in Washington. In a little more than a year, this administration has pushed the boundaries of executive overreach to its breaking point. People are over it, and I could not agree more! I have been involved in the No Kings protests since long before I considered running for the House of Representatives for FL-11. I was a concerned citizen who had had enough, and that is still true today.
“The right to criticize our leaders, voice concerns and stand up for our beliefs is a fundamental American right. We must exercise this before we lose it. Each No Kings rally has seen record-breaking turnout, proving that a majority of Americans want a government that answers to the people, not a ruler. Regardless of the results in August, I will be right there alongside my neighbors in District 11, sign in hand, fighting for the change we deserve.”
"The top issue that I heard about is blatant corruption going on. I got asked by multiple people if I would be in favor of impeaching Trump, which I am. Other than that, I got a lot of questions about the war in Iran."
“I personally am against all wars. I believe diplomacy is always the better option, and war is the last option on my list. And I think right now it's a war of choice. We chose to go in it. And by 'we,' I mean like one person chose for us, and then we all just get dragged along into these wars that nobody wants to be in.”
