Brian Rush
Brian Rush (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Florida. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 20, 2024.
Biography
Brian Rush graduated from Boca Ciega High School. Rush earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the University of Florida. His career experience includes working as an attorney. Rush served in the Florida House of Representatives.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: United States Senate election in Florida, 2024
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Florida
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Florida on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Rick Scott (R) | |
 | Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D)  | |
 | Feena Bonoan (L) | |
 | Ben Everidge (No Party Affiliation) | |
 | Tuan Nguyen (No Party Affiliation) | |
 | Howard Knepper (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Shantele Bennett (No Party Affiliation)
- Grace Granda (No Party Affiliation)
- Marcos Reyes (No Party Affiliation)
- A.C. Toulme (One Earth Party)
- Mason Cysewski (G)
- Salomon Hernandez (No Party Affiliation)
- Randy Toler (G)
- Samir Hazza (No Party Affiliation)
- James Davis (No Party Affiliation)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell defeated Stanley Campbell, Brian Rush, and Rod Joseph in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Debbie Mucarsel-Powell | 68.6 | 731,996 |
 | Stanley Campbell | 19.5 | 208,267 | |
 | Brian Rush | 6.7 | 71,866 | |
 | Rod Joseph | 5.2 | 55,538 | |
| Total votes: 1,067,667 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Donald Horan (D)
- Everett Stern (D)
- Chase Anderson Romagnano (D)
- Josue Larose (D)
- Matthew Sanscrainte (D)
- Bernard Korn (D)
- Alan Grayson (D)
- Matt Boswell (D)
- Phil Ehr (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Florida
Incumbent Rick Scott defeated Keith Gross and John Columbus in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Florida on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Scott | 84.4 | 1,267,482 |
 | Keith Gross | 9.3 | 140,407 | |
 | John Columbus | 6.3 | 93,868 | |
| Total votes: 1,501,757 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Katy Sun (R)
- Angela Marie Walls-Windhauser (R)
- Shannon O'Dell (R)
- Patricia Krentcil (R)
- Joe Smith (R)
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Feena Bonoan advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Florida.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2022
See also: United States Senate election in Florida, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Florida
The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Florida on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Marco Rubio (R) | 57.7 | 4,474,847 |
 | Val Demings (D) | 41.3 | 3,201,522 | |
 | Dennis Misigoy (L) | 0.4 | 32,177 | |
 | Steven B. Grant (No Party Affiliation) | 0.4 | 31,816 | |
| Tuan Nguyen (No Party Affiliation) | 0.2 | 17,385 | |
 | Edward A. Gray (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 190 | |
 | Uloma Ekpete Kama (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 42 | |
 | Moses Quiles (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 33 | |
| Howard Knepper (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 2 | |
| Total votes: 7,758,014 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jason Holic (No Party Affiliation)
- Carlos Barberena (No Party Affiliation)
- Shantele Bennett (No Party Affiliation)
- Ahmad Saide (No Party Affiliation)
- Timothy Devine (No Party Affiliation)
- Grace Granda (No Party Affiliation)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida
Val Demings defeated Brian Rush, William Sanchez, and Ricardo De La Fuente in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Val Demings | 84.3 | 1,263,706 |
| Brian Rush | 6.3 | 94,185 | |
 | William Sanchez | 5.6 | 84,576 | |
 | Ricardo De La Fuente | 3.8 | 56,749 | |
| Total votes: 1,499,216 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Allen Ellison (D)
- Edward Abud (D)
- Joshua Weil (D)
- Alan Grayson (D)
- Allek Pastrana (D)
- Ken Russell (D)
- Coleman Watson (D)
- Albert Fox (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Marco Rubio advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Florida.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Calvin Driggers (R)
- Angela Marie Walls-Windhauser (R)
- Jake Loubriel (R)
- Luis Miguel (R)
- Josue Larose (R)
- Ervan Katari Miller (R)
- Earl Yearicks IV (R)
- Kevin DePuy (R)
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Dennis Misigoy advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Florida.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brian Rush did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Rush’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Key Issues As a past member of the Florida House of Representative, Brian Rush worked on many important fiscal and social issues, and shares his ideas below of today’s important issues: Homeowners Insurance The State of Florida recently admitted that Florida’s largest home insurance company, Citizens Insurance Company, which insures over one million Florida homes, is now insolvent and unable to pay homeowners’ anticipated claims for hurricane losses in 2024. Economy & Inflation President Biden’s policies have given our country a solid job market and many economic indicators show that our economy remains strong. Unfortunately, continuing high prices coupled with high housing and insurance costs are leaving many Floridians and Americans in a very tough financial situation. Reproductive Rights It was a great disappointment when the Supreme Court of the United States of America reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022, effectively allowing Ron DeSantis and the extremist Republican Florida Legislature to pass new laws practically ending reproductive freedom and endangering the health of Florida women. Reducing Gun Violence Increases in gun violence across the United States calls for serious reforms to reduce gun violence and violent crime, while simultaneously addressing the epidemic of mental illness as it relates to gun violence. Florida's Environment As a former Florida legislator, Brian Rush has a proven record in protecting Florida’s natural resources from polluters. Brian Rush stood up against the Big Sugar industry who poured pollutants into Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. Social Security, Medicare, & Veterans Benefits Beginning in the 1930’s and continuing into recent years, the People of the United States created a social safety net, financed by working people and for the benefit of working people, so that they would be financially protected when they needed these benefits most. Tax Reform Rick Scott and other extremist Republicans have recently changed the United States’ tax code, and these changes have given unfair tax loopholes and unreasonable tax breaks for billionaires, rich corporations and foreign enterprises. These tax law changes have caused trillions of dollars in tax expenditures, which have directly caused huge annual budget deficits in the trillions of dollars, which are bankrupting America.[2] |
” |
| —Brian Rush’s campaign website (2024)[3] | ||
2022
Brian Rush did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Rush's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Economy & Inflation Over the last twelve years, the Congress has engaged in ongoing deficit spending, without any effort to avoid inflating the economy in the United States. During this period, Congress has continuously overspent each year and has used deficit spending to add almost twenty trillion dollars ($20,000,000,000.00) to the total National debt. Each year, Congress has recklessly borrowed more and more money and Congress has used deficit spending to finance the printing of ever more money, all of which has led to significant inflationary pressure. In the last year, the United States experienced consumer price inflation of almost nine percent (9%) annually, and producer price inflation of almost eleven percent (11%) annually. Every dollar ($1.00) earned one year ago, by every middle-class person and every working family, is today worth only ninety-one cents ($0.91). Every Florida Senior living on a fixed income has watched their life’s savings shrink by nine percent (9%) over the last year. If the current 9% inflation rate remains the same for the next twelve (12) months, a dollar earned or saved last year will be worth only eighty-two cents ($0.82) next year. Unfortunately, the United States Congress and the United States Senate have made no reasonable effort to restrain deficit spending. In 2021, the Congress enacted into law two new spending bills totaling more than three trillion dollars ($3,000,000,000.00). Almost immediately, the House of Representatives passed a third spending bill calling for an additional five trillion dollars ($5,000,000,000.00) of spending over a ten (10) year period. This third bill proposed raising taxes by two trillion dollars ($2,000,000,000.00) and would have added an additional three trillion dollars ($3,000,000,000.00) to the National debt over ten (10) years. During this same period, the Congress has actively supported an easy money policy by the Federal Reserve, which created additional inflationary pressure. The Congress’ reckless deficit spending, in conjunction with the Federal Reserve’s easy money policy and other known economic conditions have resulted in the current 9% inflation rate. Recently, the Federal Reserve Board has voted to significantly raise interest rates, in an effort to combat this Congressionally caused 9% inflation rate. As a result, the United States economy is likely to go into a recession, with much higher unemployment, and higher deficits, for which the Congress is responsible. Inflation, especially rising rent, food prices and gasoline/energy costs are breaking the middle class, working families, and retired seniors, and Congress has caused this unfair inflation tax. Annual Consumer Price Inflation (June 2021 to June 2022) Urban Worker Annual C.P.I. Increase (2021-2022): 9.3% Annual Consumer Price Index (C.P.I.) (2021-2022): 8.6% Annual Producer Price Index (C.P.I.) (2021-2022): 10.8% Food Price Inflation Egg price increase (2021-2022): 32% Milk Price Inflation Whole Milk Prices: May 2022 (Price per gallon) Miami - $4.43/gallon U.S. Average - $4.33/gallon and up May 2021 Whole Milk Price: $3.60 Annual Rate of Milk Price Increase: 20.2% (2021-2022) Annual Gasoline Price Inflation (June 2021 to June 2022) Over the last year from June 2021 to June 2022, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has increased from approximately $3.07 per gallon (June 15, 2021) to $5.01 per gallon in mid-June 2022, a price increase of 63.2%, over the previous twelve (12) months. June 14, 2021: $3.07/gallon June 14, 2022: $5.01/gallon Annual Rate of Gas Price Increase: 63.2% Eighteen (18) Month Gasoline Price Inflation (January 2021 to June 2022) Over the last year and a half, from January 2021 to June 2022, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has increased from approximately $2.35 per gallon (January 2021) to $5.01 per gallon in mid-June 2022, a price increase of 112%, over the previous eighteen (18) months. January 2021: $2.35/gallon June 14, 2022: $5.01/gallon Annual Rate of Increase: 112% Energy Price Inflation (2021-2022) In the last eighteen (18) months energy price inflation in the US has dramatically increased, causing significant economic distress to the middle class and working families in the United States. In the last year alone, since June of 2021, overall energy price inflation has increased at annual rate of more than 34%, and electricity has increased 12% annually. All Energy: 34.6% Electricity: 12.0%
Recent events in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, and significant increases in violent crime across the United States, require serious reforms to reduce gun violence and violent crime, while simultaneously addressing the epidemic of mental illness as it relates to gun violence. Brian Rush supports the following principals to reduce gun violence and violent crime in the United States:
Let the Mother and Her Physician Decide Reproductive Rights and abortion policy involve critically important issues of personal autonomy, responsibility, and liberty, as well as some of the most private and protected family decisions. Of course, this issue also involves important personal moral and ethical considerations. For more than thirty years, Brian Rush has supported the Roe v. Wade viability standard and Florida’s unique Constitutional Privacy Amendment, which protects a woman’s autonomy and her private decision to terminate her pregnancy, free from government interference. Trust the Mother Brian Rush strongly believes that the government and the courts should not control a mother’s decision to have an abortion. Prior to fetal viability, the government and its courts should not interfere with or place undue burdens on a woman’s reproductive decisions. We should trust the mother. After fetal viability, the mother’s life and physical health remain primary and should be fully protected from government interference. After viability, the child also has rights to protect, but the mother’s life and health remain primary. In any event, the government must not endanger the life and physical health of the mother at any stage of her pregnancy. Approximately 90% of early term abortions occur in the first trimester and many of these early term abortions involve the mother’s use of prescription birth control medication. At this early stage of pregnancy and prior to fetal viability, the government has no right to interfere with a mother’s private decision to terminate her pregnancy. Additionally, pregnant women unable to use prescription birth control medication should be able to make private reproductive decisions, including an abortion at a doctor’s office or hospital, without government interference. Fetal Viability After fetal viability, both the mother and the baby in utero have a right to live and be healthy. However, the mother’s right to live always remains primary. The mother has a right to live and be physically healthy throughout her pregnancy, and that right must be protected from government interference or undue burden. After fetal viability, abortions should only be performed when the mother’s life or physical health are threatened, as determined by the mother and her doctor and hospital ethics rules. This difficult decision should not involve the government and we should trust the mother, her physician, and the hospital ethics committee to follow the law and make a proper decision without government or court interference. After fetal viability, these late term abortions should be safe, legal, and rare, and should be guided by hospital ethics rules that consider both the rights of the mother and of the baby in utero. Conscience Protection A baby delivered early to protect the mother’s life or health should be given all of the available treatment given to any child born prematurely, consistent with hospital and physician ethics. Absent an emergency medical event requiring immediate surgery, all health care facilities and health care providers are entitled to follow their conscience and religious beliefs and should not be forced to participate in providing abortion services. These conscience rights are rooted in the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Over the next several years, as new renewable energy sources come online, the United States must transition from its current over-reliance on carbon-based energy (oil, natural gas, coal, propane, etc.) to use clean and renewable energy sources. The United States should lead the world with solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric energy development, along with continued use of new, small, safe and clean nuclear energy. In addition, we need to invest in improved energy efficiency which can significantly boost our energy solutions. During the above multi-year transition from existing energy sources to greater reliance on clean and renewable energy, the United States will need to continue producing energy from existing energy sources, which are primarily carbon based, and these traditional fuels will still have a place in the overall energy picture. National security and long-term energy security require that we use the best parts of all of the fuels available, while increasing the energy generated from safe and clean renewables to protect our environment. In order to carry out the transition to increased renewable energy sources, the United States will require a substantial investment in the energy transmission system and energy storage facilities, which will take a number of years to construct and operate. This transition to increased renewable energy will likely take many years and cannot be allowed to bankrupt the middle class and working families during this transition. So far, Congress has implemented costly energy policies which have failed to protect the middle class and working family consumers, including retired seniors from unsustainable energy price increases. Congress’ failure to protect the middle class, working families and retired seniors from extremely high energy price inflation is unfair and unreasonable, especially because Congress’ high priced energy policy has also directly caused soaring food prices, energy costs and housing costs.[2] |
” |
| —Brian Rush's campaign website (2022)[4] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Brian Rush For U.S. Senate, "Meet Brian Rush," accessed July 29, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brian Rush for U.S. Senate, “Key Issues,” accessed July 26, 2024
- ↑ Brian Rush For U.S. Senate, “Key Issues,” accessed July 26, 2022
