DCCC Political Call Sheet
To: Recruitment Committee Member
From: DCCC Southern Political Director – John Bivona (cell: 202-815-1446, email: )
Date: March 17, 2016
RE: Recruitment Call to Bale Dalton (FL-07)
Purpose of the Call:
Thank you for calling Bale Dalton. Bale is currently working in Sen. Bill Nelson’s office on military issues. He spent 10 years serving in the Navy and is a Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve. Please encourage him to consider running for Congress against long-time incumbent John Mica in the newly created swing district in FL-07.
Cell: (407) 948-7123
Please report the results of this call to Katie Weicher, Political Coordinator (cell: 224-558-9626, email: )
Talking Points:
· Please tell Bale we think a Democrat with his strong service background is exactly what we need to contrast with longtime incumbent John Mica.
· Please let Bale know that this is now a 50/50 district and is frankly the most competitive Congressional district in the state of Florida. President Obama received 50.2% of the vote in 2012 and 51.5% in 2008. We can win here but it needs to happen in a Presidential year.
· Please tell Bale that the DCCC believes we have enough time to mount his successful campaign because Mica has grown lazy over the years and doesn’t raise much money. He only has approximately $400,000 on hand. This is a gap we can easily close.
· Please stress that Mica has never had a competitive general election and is not in fighting shape. He has blind spots in his political profile for the new district which is far more diverse and Democratic (Changes described in background below).
Background:
· Bale has an opportunity to take a new leadership position within the Naval Reserves and has indicated that he would rather run for Congress 4 years from now. Given the dynamics in the presidential race, this is obviously the year to run.
· The newly redrawn FL-07 now contains the eastern part of Orlando and its suburbs to the east and north of the city. Its major population centers are Orlando, Sanford, and Altamonte Springs.
· Compared to the old district, the new seat gained the territory of eastern Orlando and Sanford, but lost Deltona and Orange City to the new FL-06.
· As a result of these changes, the new FL-07's average Democratic performance rose by 4.6 points to 51.9%. President Obama narrowly won the new FL-07 with 50.02% in 2012 and 51.5% in 2008.
· The new seat is also more diverse. The African American voting age population increased 1.5 points compared to the old district and the Hispanic voting age population increased 2.7 points.
Biography:
Bale is from FL-07 and has a strong record of service. He graduated from the Naval Academy before serving in the Navy for 10 years where he was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He also has a diploma from the US Naval War College and an MPP in International and Global Affairs from the Kennedy School. Bale has worked for the Department of State as a Foreign Service officer. His father, Roy Bale Dalton Jr., was appointed by President Obama as a judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and confirmed in May of 2011.
FL-07 DISTRICT SUMMARY
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