Let’s talk about politics.

This weekend I got to meet Antione Fields who is running for State Representative in District 21 for the democratic party. This is a bit of a unique opportunity for me. I am a registered independent who will actually be able to vote in this primary election. We met at Brew & Root Kava Cafe which he said was basically his home away from home.

So, who is Antione Fields? He has a background of being an organizer, a CWA Union member, and currently the senior manager at Common Cause, a national voting rights organization.

For the last two decades or so, it really has felt like “vote blue no matter who” has been the standard bare minimum. The republican party opened the doors for MAGA and then did whatever they had to so they could stay in power. The answer has always been to always vote for whoever was running against MAGA. No matter how bad that candidate has been, at least they are better than MAGA.

In the last year and a half or so, it feels like there has been a change. A recognition and demand that we deserve better. This in part due to our own Democratic politicians failing us, and by the genocide of Gaza. Specifically this genocide highlights how closely we are tied to Israel and how much of our money is going to fund the murder of kids in Gaza, and how much Israel is able to straight up buy our politicians.

There has been a bit of a schism in the Democratic party. The growth of Democratic socialism has taken a sharp turn upward. This is mainly due to Mayor Mamdani not only getting elected but because he has been backing up every claim and promise he made on the campaign trail.

So this is what was my thought process before meeting up with Antione Fields who is running for office. The biggest question I had going into this is how do you distinguish yourself as a candidate when everyone is running on the same points to one degree or another?

Fields says he separates himself by being a strong progressive and running on a bold progressive platform, universal healthcare, paid family leave, and living wages. He also brings up the fact he has legislative experience working as an aide for State Representative Dotie Joseph, who has announced she is running for Governor of Florida. A major focus for him though is his slogan, No PACs. Just people.

I am a firm believer that two people can say the same thing, and have two vastly different meanings behind them. So I asked what his perspective is on Democrats and Democratic Socialism (DSA), he dropped this banger of a quote: ‘I think it’s kind of a litmus test of sorts, at least for me. I think when talking about Democratic socialist ideas or policies, we're talking about very popular policies. Universal Health Care, paid family leave, a living wage, you know, real affordable housing and housing being seen as a human right, not just a commodity, and those are things that most folks agree that we should have.’ He goes on to talk about the DSA’s rejection of corporate money. He feels like it's a reason why democrats are losing working class voters because ‘it's hard to trust someone who says they will fight for you, when they’re taking money from the same people that are holding you down.’

We covered a few more topics, including his strategy if he wins. Since only Democrats filed for this seat, the race is effectively decided in August. That frees him up between August and November to hit the pavement helping other regional candidates flip Republican-held seats before he officially heads to the legislative grindstone in Tallahassee.

I feel kind of odd doing interviews with politicians. I am not a journalist, let alone a political journalist. I simply am a photographer who wants to document what's going on at this point in time and learn a bit about the people. So, this interview didn’t have hard hitting questions, nor was it aimed as an endorsement. It’s just me sharing a conversation I had with a young man who has the guts to put his name on the ballot and say that he does have what it takes to make this a better place to live.