Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Florida, announced he’s entering the 2020 race for president on Thursday morning.
Says Messam in a video: “I’m passionate about the American dream because it is not a fictitious thing for me. It’s real for me. America belongs to all of us. The promise of America belongs to all of us. That’s why I’m going to be running for president, to be your champion.”
NBC News reports: “Messam says he deals with infrastructure and business needs on a micro level in his Fort Lauderdale suburb, in ways that governors and senators don’t. Most politicians also haven’t run a small business for 20 years, he says, learning how to balance government regulations needed to protect the environment while allowing room for companies to prosper. Messam also points out he is the only candidate from battleground Florida and the strategically important Deep South and his positions align with liberal voters. He favors universal health care, student loan forgiveness, infrastructure improvements, working to alleviate climate change and focusing education toward a high-tech future. He would repeal Trump’s tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy to pay for it. He also would ban military-style rifles and tighten background checks for gun purchases.”
Messam also spoke with CNN’s New Day: “I’m the son of immigrants. My father came to this country from Jamaica … chasing the American dream, and I’m living that American dream. But I see that American dream slipping away for a lot of Americans.”
Messam enters a still widening field of Democrats who have announced exploratory committees including Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, Jay Inslee, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, former U.S. Rep John Delaney, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, John Hickenlooper, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Bill Weld, Marianne Williamson, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has also announced plans to explore a run as a centrist independent.
