In a discussion that touched everything from stimulus dollars to college football, Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, spoke to a group of college reporters Wednesday in an attempt to woo a youthful demographic that he believes will be key to a November victory.
Meek, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, spent the majority of his 30-minute phone conference on key issues, placing a heavy emphasis on student finances.
"In this race, there's really little said about education and cost," he said, "because I'm the only one who understands the effect of tuition costs going up."
Meek, who is running against Republican Marco Rubio and independent Charlie Crist, labeled his opponents as "lifelong" conservative Republicans who have had a hand in the increasing tuition rates across the state.
Meek said a combination of middle-class tax-relief and an infusion of revenue into social and education programs would be an essential remedy for a state that has suffered a economic pummeling from the recession. He also praised the federal stimulus as a much-needed injection of revenue into the state economy.
"We are still in a recession, but doing nothing is not an option," he said.
In addition to tuition talk, the U.S. congressman addressed national issues such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Although many of his policies agree with those of President Obama, whom he mentioned often, Meek believes that his campaign will be able to draw from all sides of the political spectrum and not just staunch Democrats.
"I will be the kind of senator that every Floridian can be proud of," he said.
