We all, quite naturally, like to think the best of our democracy, especially when it’s confronted by forces antithetical to its very premise. But in practice, of course, democracy is only as good as the process and the people who are consequently elected.
Which brings us – somehow – to Rachel Burgin, the heavily favored Republican candidate for the Florida House District 56 seat – the one previously held by GOP Rep. Trey Traviesa. When Traviesa surprisingly dropped out at the last minute — and the Democratic competition was a token, concession candidate — that left Burgin, an attractive, ambitious former Traviesa aide, as the choice of party leaders. And the de facto , odds-on favorite.
She’s 26, lacks a college degree and lives with her parents. But she has been a White House intern and an effective staffer for Traviesa and Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair. She is, by all accounts, a real “people person” and an adept at waving signs, handing out fliers and ringing door bells.
To be fair, Burgin might yet be a meaningfully qualified candidate for the state legislature. But right now, she’s no (former state Rep.) Sandy Murman, among those passed over for the energetic, grass-roots savvy, Traviesa acolyte.
The voters of District 56 deserve better.