Naomi Esther Blemur, the Democratic candidate for Florida agriculture commissioner, says the Florida Democratic Party is leaving her out of state efforts boosting their candidates.
Blemur is the long-shot bid against Republican candidate Wilton Simpson, who’s the current President of the Florida Senate.
She survived a harsh spotlight in the Democratic primary when her views on marriage and abortion emerged but she defeated two other candidates, gaining nearly 700,000 votes. Now, she feels neglected because of her past positions.
Blemur said she is not included in the party’s Blue Shift Florida program, a collective effort to pool resources and staff. Candidates are asked to contribute to the overall pot. Blemur was asked to contribute $40,000. She doesn’t have that kind of money.
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According to a campaign finance database maintained by the Florida Secretary of State, she has raised $51,457, loaned herself $12,500, but has already spent $63,125. That would leave her with barely $1,000 going into September.
Blemur said she’ll have more than $10,000 in her campaign account by the weekend.
Simpson, the Republican candidate, has nearly $3 million to spend.
"The way you know who supports you is by how deep they go into their pockets. When they don’t open up their pockets or their pocketbooks, the message is very clear. You are not their candidate,” Blemur told NBC 6 and media partner Telemundo 51 in an interview.
Local
NBC 6 requested a comment from the Florida Democratic Party. A spokesperson there wrote, "All of our Democratic candidates for the General Election in November across Florida receive support from the Party through our Blue Shift campaign, a state-wide coordinated effort aimed at turning out voters in all 67 counties and lifting Democratic candidates up and down the ballot."
Blemur believes she’s being left out because of her more conservative religious beliefs.
“I think they are afraid to see the different parts of the party,” said Blemur, “Everybody in the party does not think the same way."
Key Democrats have concerns and even rescinded their endorsements of Blemur during the primary. Abortion has moved front and center as an issue in the 2022 election after the repeal of the national right to an abortion with Roe v. Wade.
Controversial candidate
From North Miami, Blemur is a minister and businesswoman who has served on several city boards and advisory committees. This is her first statewide race.
She writes on her website her priorities are fighting poverty and hunger and supporting “quality education” and gender equality. However, her beliefs left off her website placed her in hot water when past social media posts on marriage and abortion were discovered.
In one social media post she criticized Reverend Raphael Warnock, who’s now a U.S. Senator from Georgia, for calling abortion consistent with the bible. In another post she called abortion a sin.
"Just like any other sin, it will never be consistent with Christianity. Period,” Blemur wrote.
The revelations caused several key South Florida Democrats to retract their endorsements: Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, congressional candidate and state senator Annette Taddeo, and state senator Shevrin Jones.
Another post appeared to defend a singer who was removed from a gospel music concert after she referred to a “perverted homosexual spirit.” A screenshot of Blemur’s social media post showed her writing, “we have ‘Gospel Music Awards’ canceling a ‘Gospel Singer’ for ‘Preaching the Gospel.” Blemur never disputed the posts, but many are now deleted.
Progressive state representative Anna Eskamani wrote online that Blemur was “anti-LGBTQ+ and supports abortion bans. She definitely didn’t tell me that when she asked me to consider endorsing her.”
In response to the criticism at the time, according to Florida Politics, Blemur wrote, “the statement that is circulating does not speak to my values as a leader or how I will lead as the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.”
In her interview with NBC 6 and Telemundo, Blemur said her policy decisions would not be impacted by her personal beliefs.
“It is my personal faith that guides my life. Those principles I live by. It is my choice not to have that procedure. Nevertheless, for every other woman in this country who desires to, they should be given that opportunity,” said Blemur.
Blemur’s campaign has hired a LGBTQ liaison to build connections and learn more about that community.
Local fundraiser
Blemur also believes she’s being snubbed of speaking positions at party events. Local party leaders say that is not the case. She attended and spoke at the “unity” rally after the primary in Tamarac. She attended a Blue Gala fundraiser last week but did not speak, but organizers did not have any cabinet member position speak at the gala.
Blemur walked away disappointed.
“Extremely,” said Blemur.
Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, Robert Dempster, said she will be supported by the local party but couldn’t speak for other candidates who chose not to endorse.
“At this point we intend to include Ms. Blemur on our slate card, as we will with all State Legislature and statewide nominees. It is however important to recognize that the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party is an all volunteer organization and we have no mechanism by which to, nor would we ever, encourage any of our members to support candidates whose values do not align with their own,” said Dempster.
Her campaign also has access to VAN, a massive voter information database used by the Democratic party.
