FEATURES
By Roy M Postel
07-19-22 Nassau County
A newcomer and two candidates with lengthy political campaign experience offer more options for independent and Democrat Party voters as the 2022 midterm cycle heats up.

The newcomer is LJ “LaShonda” Holloway. She is a Jacksonville resident who went to work on Capitol Hill after earning a law degree from University of Florida. As a staffer for U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek (D), Holloway served as a Fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Meek, who died last November at age 95, represented Miami area voters in the 17th Congressional District.
According to her campaign website, as a political appointee she helped draft the “No-FEAR Act” designed to shield federal whistleblowers. She is a cancer survivor and lists access to healthcare and affordable housing as her top priorities.
Former Florida State Senator Anthony “Tony” Hill is the veteran Democrat Party candidate vying for a spot on the November ballot. Hill represented Senate District 1 in Tallahassee from 2002 to 2011. The U.S. Army veteran and longtime labor leader represented his native Jacksonville in the Florida State House from 1992 to 2000.

For the past five years he has worked to on the staff of U.S. Rep. Al Lawson (D) and helped thousands of constituents in Congressional District 5 connect with federal agencies such as Veteran Affairs, HUD, and IRS in Washington, according to his campaign website.
Gary Koniz is running a write-in campaign for the 4th Congressional District seat. He is an U.S. Army veteran, serving in Vietnam with the Army Corps of Engineers. His experience led him to a career as a heavy equipment operator and affiliations with both the International Union of Operating Engineers and the AFL-CIO, according to information on his campaign website.

Koniz is a Republican and will conduct a write-in campaign for the general election on Nov. 8, rather than compete in the GOP primary Aug. 23rd. He has mounted unsuccessful independent campaigns for Florida’s 4th Congressional District in 2016, 2014 and 2012.