Inweekly General Election 2024 Endorsements

For Kamala Harris
By Rick Outzen

Our newspaper has endorsed presidential candidates throughout our 25-year history. We came close to passing this time, not because we wanted to be wishy-washy like the Gannett-owned News Journal. Rather, we felt our endorsement of Kamala Harris wasn’t needed. The choice was too obvious.

Then, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times announced that their owners had instructed their editorial boards not to endorse presidential candidates. We couldn’t remain on the sideline. Newspapers, even small alt-weeklies like this one, must take a stand on the presidential candidate we believe will best lead us, whether readers agree or not.

Kamala Harris represents tolerance, compassion and integrity, while her opponent has a record of disinformation, hate, racism and greed.

In 2020, we endorsed Joe Biden after watching Donald Trump plunge our nation into constant chaos.

Little did we know that Trump would be the first president to goad his supporters into storming the Capitol to stop the certification of election results while calling for the death of Democratic leaders and his own vice president.

Trump is the center of his universe, and our country doesn’t even come in second or third. He downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic to stop it from tanking his economy. He refused to allow a peaceful transfer of power. And he has denounced the Biden administration and Harris for not securing the southern border—yet Trump blew up a bipartisan House bill tackling that very issue because the bill could have solved it and hurt his election chances.

Unlike her Republican opponent, Harris doesn’t bring a list of grievances to her rallies. If elected, she would be the first woman and person of Black and Asian American descent to hold the nation’s highest office. However, she rarely talks about her candidacy’s historic significance. Instead, she focuses on the voters and her vision for the future.

Rather than blowing up our Constitution, Harris will fight to preserve our institutions and champion the American dream. She will fight for the rights of women to choose what happens to their bodies and will work to uphold Social Security and healthcare programs. The Democratic nominee will celebrate and protect our differences while giving a helping hand to those in need. She will again build bipartisan support for securing our borders and create pathways to citizenship for immigrants who contribute to our economy and communities.

The Trump campaign depends on fear to motivate his base. He speaks of a chaotic, violent America that only he can save us from. That world doesn’t exist in Pensacola and Northwest Florida.

Harris’s vision is hopeful and seeks to mend the Trump-inflicted wounds of the past eight years. Inweekly will always choose hope over fear.

For Haley “Hale” Morrissette
By Joani Delezen

There are a lot of local races on the ballot this time around, and for various reasons, we aren’t making endorsements in most of them. But there is one we’d regret not speaking on: Florida State Representative District 2.

In the race between incumbent Republican Alex Andrade, NPA candidate Kim Kline and Democrat Haley “Hale” Morrissette, Inweekly proudly endorses Morrissette.

If you were looking at a Venn diagram of things Inweekly cares about and things Morrissette cares about, it would pretty much be a circle. Our core beliefs overlap with hers on countless important issues—like healthcare for all, social justice and LGBTQ+ rights. Her work around these issues has landed her on the pages of this newspaper more times than we can count, and most of those times, we ended up learning something from her. You don’t have to take our word for it; Morrissette was recently named 2023 Florida Social Worker of the year by the National Association of Social Workers.

During her campaign, Morrissette has consistently talked about healthcare being a top priority, never failing to include reproductive rights and mental health in those conversations. She also has a track record of supporting and collaborating with local advocacy groups like Strive (Socialist Transgender Initiative). So we know that if given the chance to legislate, she would push back against Gov. DeSantis’s harmful and extreme anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.

Morrissette has spent a good chunk of the last decade representing people—as both a social worker and community organizer. She’s been marching in the streets, serving on committees and doing the work, even when no one was paying attention or giving her credit. We’d all be lucky to have her continue that work on our behalf in Tallahassee.

Florida Amendments

By Rick Outzen and Joani Delezen
AMENDMENT 1: PARTISAN ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARDS
Inweekly Recommendation: Vote “No.” We’re for keeping partisan politics out of our schools.

AMENDMENT 2: RIGHT TO FISH AND HUNT
Inweekly Recommendation: Vote “No.” There’s no need to protect a right that’s already protected, and the vague language of this proposal could potentially lead to changes in wildlife regulation and rules.

AMENDMENT 3: ADULT PERSONAL USE OF MARIJUANA
Inweekly Recommendation: Vote “Yes.” There are many reasons to support this amendment, but one that really matters to us is that marijuana legalization will result in fewer unnecessary arrests and prosecutions for simple possession charges.

AMENDMENT 4: LIMIT GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE WITH ABORTION
Inweekly Recommendation: Vote “Yes.” We believe that abortion is healthcare and that healthcare decisions should be made by individuals and their doctors, not politicians.

AMENDMENT 5: ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE VALUE OF CERTAIN HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS
Inweekly Recommendation: Vote “No.” We believe in letting local governments determine any cuts in property taxes. A larger exemption takes control away from them.

AMENDMENT 6: REPEAL OF PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FUNDING
Inweekly Recommendation: Vote “No.” This programs helps level the playing field for smaller candidates, which we support and want to keep on the books.