Local elected officials and community leaders endorse Xavier Monroe for HD21

Press release from Xavier Monroe for House District 21

To our neighbors across Alachua and Marion Counties:

We know Dr. Xavier Monroe. We know where he comes from because it is where many of us come from, too. He grew up a first-generation college student in East Gainesville, went on to earn his Ph.D. at Stanford, and worked on policy at the federal level and across the nation. Following his education, he could have gone anywhere, but he did not. He came home. During the hardest days of the pandemic, he taught in our Title I schools in the same neighborhoods where he was raised. That tells you who he is: someone who measures himself by what he gives back, not by what he can take.

He understands what is at stake because he has lived it alongside us. Much of southeastern Alachua and northwestern Marion County is a healthcare desert where families ration care and our emergency rooms carry the weight. Xavier has a real plan to change that, including expanding coverage, investing in mental health care, and bringing doctors and nurses to the communities that need them most. He brings that same seriousness to our classrooms, our water, and the cost of living that stretches every family we represent.

Here is the truth about this election: in our district, the Democratic primary on August 18 is the decisive vote. Whoever earns your support in this primary will represent House District 21. That is why we are not sitting this one out and why we are not alone. Xavier has earned the endorsement of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which backs his plan to grow good local jobs and revitalize our Main Streets, and the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, which trusts him to protect the springs, aquifers, and water that make this region home. Business leaders and environmental advocates rarely line up behind the same candidate. However, Xavier brings them to the same table to form exactly the kind of coalition necessary to get things done in Tallahassee. We know he will be your voice that is true and stands with you!

Dr. Monroe has earned the support of county and city commissioners, school board members, a mayor, community advocates, and a school superintendent across communities throughout Alachua and Marion Counties. People in public office rarely agree on everything, including us, but we do agree on this: Xavier has what it takes not just to lead, but to bring real change to Tallahassee for our communities. If you want a representative who will actually deliver affordable, accessible healthcare for families who have gone without the care they need and fully funded public schools with the educator pay our children’s futures depend on, remember that X Marks the Spot for Dr. Xavier J. Monroe on August 18.

We are proud to stand together and endorse Dr. Xavier J. Monroe for State Representative District 21. We deserve a representative who knows this community, shares our values, and will fight for practical solutions that truly matter by being our voice and our vote.

Please vote on or before August 18th. Then talk to your family, your neighbors, and your friends and ask them to do the same.

Signed,

Desmon Duncan-Walker, City of Gainesville Commissioner, District 1
Leanetta McNealy, Ph.D., Alachua County School Board, District 4
Sarah Rockwell, Ph.D., Alachua County School Board, District 3
Carlee Simon, Ph.D., Former Superintendent, Alachua County Public Schools
Armando Grundy-Gomez, President of the Alachua County Democratic Black Caucus, Educator, Veteran