State Sen. Dave Aronberg

State Sen. Dave Aronberg (on right), District 27

Yesterday, I made a brief reference to a local politician named Dave Aronberg. I’ve followed his ascension since November of 2002, when he first won elected office. I was very impressed by his ability to win in this difficult district. He represents part of Palm Beach County, but it also goes west into Hendry, Lee, Charlotte, and Glades. His 2002 opponent, Frank Mann, is very well known on Florida’s west coast.

My gut tells me that Sen. Aronberg is a rising star in Florida’s Democratic Party. He was chosen to give the rebuttal to this year’s State of the State Address by Governor JEB? Bush. While there are many wonderful Democrats in Florida, I see Aronberg as the one with the most potential. It would not surprise me to see him run for Congress or Governor. At 32, he has plenty of time to establish his credential in the Florida legislature. During only his first term, he was influential in passing reforms to our health care system.

I look forward to having the opportunity to follow his continued political career. His campaign is stationed out of Greenacres, FL. I have met the Senator at various Democratic functions in South Florida. Today, I had the privilege to exchange an email with Sen. Aronberg himself. He thanked me for my support and said he’d put me in contact with his volunteer coordinator. I don’t mean to sound selfish, but Dave is the type of individual that you want to be aligned with. I see him going places, perhaps as soon as 2010. I’m hoping that if Clay Shaw ever retires or dies, maybe he could run as a Democrat in district 22. Maybe Aronberg could be strong enough to successfully challenge the incumbent. Only time will tell.

This is a man who deserves our continued support, along with Democrats like Jim Stork. Keep an eye on him over the next few years. I’ll be able to say that I remembered Dave Aronberg when he was only a Freshman State legislator in Florida.