From South Beach to Sunny Isles Beach, residents of Florida State House District 106, an expansive 22-mile long beach strip, chose a clear winner on Tuesday.
The current representative, Fabian Basabe, faced off against newcomer Joe Saunders in a controversy-filled showdown, winning 51% of the vote to Saunders’ 47%.
Basabe, a New York City-born Hispanic, was never into politics starting out. He has been in the public eye his entire life, however, starring in the show, “Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive.” The show followed a group of young celebrities who were assigned to work on a Colorado cattle ranch to earn funds for their favorite organizations. The eight participating stars had a wealthy background, and high society lifestyle were far removed from the rough-and-tough ranch life.
Once his interest in politics grew, he decided to turn to government positions.
“I have had a lot of fun in my life, now it’s time to give back,” remarked Basabe.
Unlike many politicians, he actively participates in local events and makes his personal contact information accessible to constituents. He shared a memorable experience where a resident called him to criticize his legislative actions, and he remained on the line for three hours.
“I think she got my phone from Facebook, she called me at around noon and she seemed to be really concerned,” Basabe recounted. “So, I left everything I was doing and I think we talked for about 3 hours. At the end she thanked me for giving her the time.”
After a failed run for Miami Beach City Commissioner, Basabe managed to knock on enough doors and have enough events to make a historically blue district vote red by less than a percentage point several years ago.
In this election cycle, his campaign has been surrounded with alleged sexual harassment claims by a legislative aide and intern. The story first broke in the Miami Herald, gaining traction during the campaign.
In a YouTube video uploaded on October 23rd, Basabe called the claims, “the playbook of the establishment politicians and my opponent.” He staunchly stood behind his campaign and declared that if the claims were true, he would “resign on the spot and be held accountable.”
Joe Saunders, who lost to Basabe, served as a state representative for Florida’s 49th District in Polk County. The Central Florida native worked as a senior political director for Equality Florida, an LGBT advocacy group.
He had criticized Basabe for contributing to the “divisive politics” and “manufactured culture wars” that he contends Florida government promotes.
Both candidates ran fierce campaigns. The decision fell to the people, and the people wanted to keep the beach district red.
