# Liberty Movement > Liberty Campaigns > Liberty Campaign Evaluation >  Campaign Evaluation: Rebekah Bydlak (US House, FL-1)

## Brian4Liberty

This thread is intended to be a collection point of the strong pros and cons of any potential liberty candidate / campaign that is being discussed / promoted on the forum. You are welcome to post both positive and not-so-positive attributes about the candidate as they related to the evaluation.


*Information*

*Candidate Information*
Candidate Name: Rebekah Bydlak
Office Sought:  U.S. Congress
Party: Republican
State / District: FL / 1st 
Website: http://www.rebekah2016.com/
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebekah2016/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebekah_2016


*Race Information: Competition & Demographics*
Incumbent: Jeff Miller (R) - Retiring.
Primary Date: August 30, 2016
Other Primary Candidates: 
1st District Candidates:
- Robert Blake (R) ~ Defense Contractor, Retired USAF Officer
- Cris Dosev (R) ~ Real Estate Developer, Retired USMC Officer 
- Greg Evers (R) ~ State Senator, Farmer, Ex-State Representative
- Brian Frazier (R) ~ Retired Navy Captain
- Matt Gaetz (R) ~ State Representative, Attorney
- Rich Gazlay (R) ~ Roofing Contractor 
- John Mills (R)  ~ Physician 
- Mark Wichern (R)   ~ Structural Restoration Contractor
- James Zumwalt (R)  ~ Ex-Congressional Aide, Iraq War Veteran
- Michelle Ryan (R) 
Non-Incumbent Candidates from Other Parties: 



*Evaluation*

*Candidate Profile: Issues*
Civil Liberties: [Rating TBD]
Constitutional Issues: [Rating TBD]
Economic Issues: [Rating TBD]
Foreign Policy: [Rating TBD]
Social Issues: [Rating TBD]
*Overall Issues Rating:* [Rating TBD]


*Candidate Profile: Personal*
Honesty: [Rating TBD]
Issue consistency: [Rating TBD]
Personality: [Rating TBD]
Associations: [Rating TBD]
Relevant experience: [Rating TBD]
Personal history: [Rating TBD]
*Overall Personal Rating:* [Rating TBD]

*Candidate Rating:* [Rating TBD]



*Race Profile Rating*
Race Impact Rating: [Rating TBD]
Victory Impact Rating: [Rating TBD]

*Race Profile Rating:* [Rating TBD]



*Overall Rating:*



*Evaluation Commentary*

Key strong points: 

Possible weak points:

Possible deal breakers:

Unknown points for further research:

Rating commentary:

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## johndeal

Seems like a reasonable bet. Any info on how she's doing on the  ground?

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## Krugminator2

I wouldn't hold this against her, but her husband trashed Rand Paul with just nothing smears. 

http://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...nd-paul-120844

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## Brian4Liberty

> I wouldn't hold this against her, but her husband trashed Rand Paul with just nothing smears. 
> 
> http://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...nd-paul-120844


That was more like lamenting. 




> Since serving as Ron Paul’s fundraising director in 2008, I have often been asked what made Congressman Paul so popular—why he was able to raise so much money, especially online. In recent months, a new question has replaced the old ones: Will his son be able to do the same?
> 
> Earlier this year, when reporters began calling to ask for my predictions about how Paul the younger’s fundraising momentum would compare to his father’s, I behaved as I thought was appropriate: I hedged. I bit my tongue. I answered cautiously.
> 
> Through it all, I haven’t said what now seems increasingly obvious: There is little chance that Rand Paul’s momentum will ever match that of Ron Paul.


That article will be seen as a good sign by the majority of this forum. Complaining about things like Rand signing the Tom Cotton letter is an understandable "complaint", although if he was a supporter, he would save the negatives for post-campaign, not at the beginning.

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## Krugminator2

> That was more like lamenting. 
> 
> That article will be seen as a good sign by the majority of this forum. Complaining about things like Rand signing the Tom Cotton letter is an understandable "complaint", although if he was a supporter, he would save the negatives for post-campaign, not at the beginning.





> The unfortunate reason is clear: Rand Paul doesn’t stand for much of anything anymore.


Rand was a once in a lifetime candidate. If someone feels Rand doesn't stand for anything, then they are on a different team than I am on.

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## Chieppa1

Absolutely. The more the better.

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## Mr.NoSmile

Sounds promising, but what's the competition look like?

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## Brian4Liberty

More info:




> Today 25-year-old native Floridian Rebekah Johansen Bydlak announced her Republican candidacy for the state’s 1st Congressional District.
> 
> Born and raised in McDavid community in north Escambia County, she attended Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida and holds a master’s degree in political science and public administration from UWF.
> 
> Since graduation, Bydlak has served as Outreach Director for the Coalition to Reduce Spending, an advocacy organization dedicated to reducing federal spending and debt -of which her husband Jonathan, former Director of Fundraising for Ron Paul’s 2008 Presidential campaign, serves as president.
> 
> “The First District deserves innovative solutions, not just more of the same,” Bydlak said in her press announcement. “A vibrant, 21st century economy that benefits all demands a federal government that abides by our Constitution.”
> 
> “Washington is broken,” she added, “and I have the experience to be part of the solution. Every child born today will face tens of thousands of dollars in debt they did not ring up, thanks to career politicians who have no interest in stopping business as usual. I will fight for my generation’s right to be free from this burden.”
> ...

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## Brian4Liberty

> Rand was a once in a lifetime candidate. If someone feels Rand doesn't stand for anything, then they are on a different team than I am on.


It's an unfortunate characteristic of stubborn contrarians, critics, pessimists and libertarians to save their harshest, and often loudest criticism for those closest to their own ideology.

Guess there's a bit of karma here. He gave up on Rand early in the process, which led to you bringing up a negative as soon as his wife announces she is running.

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## Matt Collins

Although I'm sure she is solid on the issues, I don't think she has any chance to win whatsoever.

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## Matt Collins

Although I'm sure she is solid on the issues, I don't think she has any chance to win whatsoever.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Sounds promising, but what's the competition look like?


Republican District, incumbent is retiring. Wide open, but crowded field.

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## Brian4Liberty

> Although I'm sure she is solid on the issues, I don't think she has any chance to win whatsoever.


What is the GOP Primary process in Florida? Majority required or some plurality?

She is a long-shot, but she has a chance to win. She would probably do well to use the essential platform used by two recent no "chance to win whatsoever" candidates*. Dave Brat was one of them.

*On top of liberty-oriented, small government and Constitutional positions.

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## Matt Collins

Her narrative is insurmountable and I doubt she will be able to raise the money. But she knows a lot of people who know how to win elections so it is quite possible that she will be able to position herself as well as possible and squeak out a lucky victory. With a crowded field, it could easily be only a few thousand voters (or less) who determine the outcome. She might get lucky. But short of that, I don't think she has any chance at all, the math just doesn't add up.

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## Krugminator2

> It's an unfortunate characteristic of stubborn contrarians, critics, pessimists and libertarians to save their harshest, and often loudest criticism for those closest to their own ideology.
> 
> Guess there's a bit of karma here. He gave up on Rand early in the process, which led to you bringing up a negative as soon as his wife announces she is running.


She probably is good and people should support her.  I had never heard of him  but I  recognized Jonathan Bydlak's name instantly, because I remember he went to Politico when everyone was piling on to Rand to further the narrative that Rand was a sellout. It it the only time I have ever heard of him.

I actually just Googled his name and this popped up. I can't help myself. Apparently this article struck a nerve with other people.

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## ronpaulhawaii

> Running the the state leg and US House are worlds apart.


ya think? 




> None of that really means anything to the average voter.


It wasn't addressing average voter concerns, it was addressing your objections. Like I said, she has decent building blocks for messaging. Besides, to the average voter, any "story" is more about presentation than substance anyway. Given her access to decent advisors/mentors/etc., If she knocks on doors and makes the calls, like other winners I've seen, she'll have as good a shot as they did.     




> Actually I do know she grew up there, but it is my understanding they have been living in DC for a while.


First you complain of her young age, then you say this, "living in DC for a while"... Meanwhile, they live in CD1 and she only lived in DC for a _short_ while, 

I like to see constructive criticism; vague and ignorant dismissiveness that introduces undeserved negativity, not so much...

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## H. E. Panqui

> Your ignorance tells me you are just trolling. Please show us where Brakey shilled for Cruz. What I saw was that he stated that Paul was his candidate, Paul is who he caucused and voted for, but as a representative of the people who voted to make him a delegate, he would cast his vote at the RNC for the winner of his Caucus. 
> 
> FTR, Brakey and I were friends long before he went to Maine and I'm one of two who convinced him to go, mentored him, and advised him throughout his race....




...i (ashamedly) attended a session of the state convention as a guest (i was literally dragged kicking and screaming)...i SAW brakey's name on a delegate slate(s) distributed by SHILLS FOR TED STINKING CRUZ!.. 

...btw, in the larger scheme of things we are all 'trolls'..for one example, you apparently troll for 'young attractive republican political hopefuls' [who can be found frequently working their cakeholes about 'the illion dollar economy' absent an honest clue as to the HIDEOUS origin and nature of even one 'dollar']...word...

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## Matt Collins

> I like to see constructive criticism; vague and ignorant dismissiveness that introduces undeserved negativity, not so much...


Campaign school 101: 

1- don't run for Congress your first time, 

2- have a sellable narrative, 

3- and fit the profile of your average candidate. 



All 3 of these are being ignored in this race. As I said, she might get lucky, but more than likely she will not get elected. If she builds a big list and uses that for other purposes then it will be still be a victory regardless of being elected or not.

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## johndeal

I wish Bydlak had been elected to some local office first but I also think this seat is too valuable for her not to give it a shot.

An open seat in a solid Republican district with what should be a beatable opponents. She's the only female contender.

Evers (a state senator), Gaetz (a state rep), and Zumwalt (a Miller staffer) have never won contested primaries. If they split things evenly Bydlak will have a shot.

The winner may only need 25-28% of the vote though I would expect it will take >35% to win.

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## Bryan

[moved many posts here to the evaluation]

When I first saw the name Bydlak I immediately wondered about a connection to Jonathon Bydlak, and of course there is. I remember Rebekah from some past Ron Paul campaigns, didn't she use to do youtubes?

I am very encouraged to see young liberty supporters stepping up to run for office! This is great news and even better when they have a solid foundation to build upon. From what I've seen, Rebekah has a lot of potential.

That said, I am likewise concerned on attempts to jump too high too soon. Winning and keeping a congressional seat is not something that comes easy, so for liberty activists efforts to be fruitful the candidate has to have a lot going for them.

Without knowing all the fundamentals in this case, I would agree with Matt to a point, the situation is not stacked well. Getting more information on these fundamentals however can help provide better focus. Some key questions for me...

- What has she done to build up her local base? Has see been involved in a lot of grassroots groups? Building contacts?

- What has she done to build up a national pro-liberty base? Has she been producing content (articles, etc) that have built up a following? What are her personal fb and twitter follower counts at?

- What is the funding plan? Doe she / family have a large amount of seed money to get the campaign off to a great start? Has she build up the support base to do that? Or is she going to be looking for new supporters to provide the first injection of big money?

Aside for this, it's understood that there can be value in running campaigns beyond just winning (and our evaluation process recognizes this). It certainly seems like Rebekah can have a very positive future, the question is, will she press on with other opportunities if she does not win this race? Would she consider a run for a state office? I don't think we'd get a public answer to that but there are ways this could be gauged.

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## Brian4Liberty

> CD1: With Republican Jeff Miller bowing out, expect a competitive GOP in this Panhandle seat. Two state legislators--Greg Evers and Matt Gaetz--are already running for this seat and other Republicans have also lined up to run. No surprise considering the number of military bases in the region, several of the Republican candidates--Robert Blake, Cris Dosev, Brian Frazier, John Mills, James Zumwalt--are veterans. There are also other outsiders like Rebekah Johansen Bydlak and Mark Wichern in the primary while local elected officials like Ashton Hayward and David Stafford could still enter the fray. Not all of these candidates are going to make the ballot of course but this isn’t going to be a two man contest between Evers and Gaetz. There are some Democrats and independents running but they simply won’t be factors in one of the most secure Republican districts in the state. Whoever wins the Republican primary at the end of August should be headed to Washington.


http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/sto...ng-retirements

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## Brian4Liberty

> - What is the funding plan? Doe she / family have a large amount of seed money to get the campaign off to a great start? Has she build up the support base to do that? Or is she going to be looking for new supporters to provide the first injection of big money?


Seems her initial fundraiser went very well:




> North Escambia Native Rebekah Bydlak Tops $100K Raised In Congressional Race
> 
> June 7, 2016
> 
> Congressional candidate Rebekah Johansen Bydlak has announced that she closed out the month of May with over $100,000 in donations from over 200 donors,

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## nickpruitt

She just got endorsed by that Ron Paul dude.

http://rare.us/story/ron-paul-just-e...=JulieBorowski

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## Todd

She's well spoken

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## Brian4Liberty

Rebekah Bydlak endorsed by Citizens for the Republic

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## CPUd

Her endorsements seem to be picking up:

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