Josh Weil and George “Ges” Selmont during the candidate forum on Zoom. (Screenshot from YouTube)
Volusia Young Democrats hosted a forum Jan. 7 with Congressional District 6 Democratic Primary candidates Josh Weil and George “Ges” Selmont. The forum featured questions from Young Democrats in Volusia, Flagler, St John’s and Marion Counties, all which fall within the congressional district.
Weil and Selmont are both running for the democratic primary for the Congressional seat currently held by Congressman Michael Waltz, who is expected to vacate the seat as he was nominated to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s national security advisor. A special election is being held to fill the seat.
The candidates were given the opportunity to share their views on issues regarding the economy, education and human rights. Nicole Hammer, vice president of the Florida Young Democrats and president of the Volusia Young Democrats, said the goal of the event was to facilitate conversation between young people and the candidates on the upcoming ballot.
“Our goal was to provide an opportunity for young voters to be able to educate themselves by hearing from the people that will be on their ballot and how to be able to engage in local politics,” said Hammer. “We were thrilled by the turnout and the productive discussion from both candidates.”
The candidates shared a joint screen through the duration of the Zoom forum, taking 3 minutes each to answer questions.
Weil, a current public school teacher of 13 years in Orange and Osceola Counties, addressed his main concern regarding president-elect Donald Trump’s plans to disconnect funding from the Department of Education.
“This is something that the voters need to understand how deeply it is going to impact their local schools,” said Weil. “Title I funding for those schools makes up 30% of the budget, and as someone who works in a Title I school, I can tell you we are already stretched so thin.”
Weil identified himself as a progressive candidate, noting an interest in joining both the progressive and education committees if elected. He is a single father of two and currently resides in Orange County.
Selmont focused largely on his concerns regarding affordability and the economy. Selmont expressed interest in joining the agriculture committee if elected, and feels strongly that agriculture is a key issue in District 6.
“I think what we’re doing economically in this district is wrong,” said Selmont. “We’re plowing under our fields, and instead of planting crops…we’re planting tract houses, and that’s not sustainable.”
Selmont previously ran for Congress in District 6 in 2018 as the democratic nominee. He also has won two Emmy Awards in his work as a filmmaker and served as an attorney.
Both candidates expressed solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. When asked a question regarding their stances, the candidates agreed it was a very important issue.
“It’s human rights at this point, it feels like it should go without saying that every person, every human in America should be awarded with human rights and equal opportunity,” said Weil. “We need to be pushing for a constitutional amendment, we need an equal rights amendment.”
Selmont extended this sentiment, saying “We need to enshrine rights for the LGBT community wherever we can.”
Three republicans have declared their intensions to run for the District 6 seat — Florida Sen. Randy Fine; Ehsan Joarder, who ran for congressional district 14 last year; and entrepreneur Aaron Baker.
The primary for this race will be held Jan. 28 with the special election taking place April 1.
Founded in 2016 as an outgrowth of the Daytona State College Democrats, Volusia Young Democrats is the official county chapter of the Florida Young Democrats. The organization offers members access to local, state and federal elected officials, conducts trainings in campaigning and activism, recruits young people to run for office and works together to elect progressives.
You can watch the candidate forum below.