State Sen. Jeremy Ring Counts On Internet Buddies To Put Him In Governor’s Mansion
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, State Sen. Jeremy Ring can’t get no respect.
Ring isn’t taken seriously when it comes to statewide politics. Recent media lists of Democrats sniffing around the 2018 governor’s race leave the veteran Broward County senator out of the picture.
That’s unfortunate.
Ring has interesting ideas for the future of Florida. He says he is serious about exploring a run.
Jeremy Ring
Just creating jobs is not enough to ensure a good future for Florida, Ring contends. He criticizes Gov. Rick Scott for touting low-paying new jobs that probably would have come to Florida even without the governor’s involvement.
“We must have the right kind of innovative jobs, ” Ring says, “not WaWa stores.” WaWa is a convenience store chain that Scott claimed he brought to the state.
Ring’s resume indicates he is positioned to cultivate novel new jobs.
First elected in 2006 and term limited this year, Ring made millions early in life as one of the first employees of Yahoo! He was a marketing executive, but the work still taught him the language of Silicon Valley and helped him make contacts across the tech world.
Using that background, Ring’s campaign would hinge on growing high-tech and other New Economy industries in the state like automation and visual reality. He would do that, in part, by nurturing research centers in universities. He would also call upon his access to executives in cutting edge businesses.
Ring continues to be an investor and a partner in various state-of-the-art enterprises which keeps him in touch with the Tech World. He also made new acquaintances earlier this year with his bill to allow high school students count computer coding as a foreign language.
Senators passed Ring’s bill 35-5, but it died in last-minute give-and-take with the House as the session expired.
Ring says the bill reflects his “thinking outside the box” which can lead Florida into the future. It also demonstrates his willingness to work with Republicans.
“I can get things done,” he says.
Ring admits he is a blip on Florida’s political landscape, with almost no base. Pointing around a Broward County restaurant during an interview with Browardbeat.com, Ring says, “I bet almost nobody knows my name here.”
Not so the other Democratic candidates said to be looking at the 2018 governor’s race:
- Bob Buckhorn is the two-term mayor of Tampa with a long history in the Bay Area business community.
- Gwen Graham is a member of Congress in North Florida who is not running again because of redistricting. She possesses the magical political name “Graham” from her father Bob Graham, the former senator and governor, and access to his network of supporters.
- Phil Levine, a multi-millionaire cruise industry concession executive, is the mayor of Miami Beach.
Other potential Democrats include Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, who is serving his last term before term limits kick in.
All of them, and Ring, would have a formidable opponent in Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican who has been working hard to raise money for months and is inching closer to announcing a run. There are other Republicans being discussed – Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Attorney General Pam Bondi, plus former state House Speaker Will Weatherford. Putnam is the one to beat.
Adam Putnam and Smokey The Bear
Ring is currently gauging how more support he can count on from his tech buddies to finance a campaign for governor.
He has no illusions. The senator, who represented Northwest Broward for 10 years, does not have a financial base the size of the other Democrats. He is not even close to what Putnam can raise from the well-heeled Ag industry.
Still, he is plunging ahead. He has the resources to thoroughly check out his chances. His 2014 financial disclosure showed assets of $14 million.
Ring says he will have a decision sometime after the November elections.
June 9th, 2016 at 9:47 am
Governor Ring, has a ring to it. He would be excellent to build the economy. His experience and knowledge in high tech will attract interest, and he understands what high tech companies are looking for. Florida needs high tech and high paying jobs. Love to see my kids getting into these high tech and high paying jobs. He is correct in criticizing Rick Scott on the jobs created. I am not interested in my child working as a cashier, interested in my child having opportunities in engineering, architecture, medicine and part of the global high paying economy. Percentage unemployment is no longer a good indicator of the economy. What the average mean salary of our state is a better indicator. Good Luck!
June 9th, 2016 at 11:15 am
And lest we forget Debbie Wasserman Shultz, who’s people are making noise in exploring her place on the ticket, but it is possible that her stands on Medical Marijuana and Payday loans may sink that effort!
June 9th, 2016 at 2:26 pm
Jeremy Ring is so correct when he says: “I bet almost nobody knows my name here.”
He can say that anywhere and everywhere in Broward County. There are dozens of Broward DEC Democratic Clubs. Ring could walk into any club and 95% of the members will ask: “Who is that new guy?
Ring is worth $14,000,000.00 and he refuses to pay the measly $10.00 to $15.00 annual club dues to join all these clubs. CHEAP!!!! Jeremy should receive some praise for purchasing ads in these clubs’ annual club Fund Raiser journals. But in his ads Ring refuses to EVEN acknowledge and congratulate the Honoree of the Day. His ad is only and JUST a campaign ad praising himself! What a complete LOSER!
Is the GOP party missing a loose RINO?
June 9th, 2016 at 11:21 pm
This piece was funded in part by Friend of Jeremy Ring.
Seriously Buddy, this act of literary fellatio is just a little beneath the high journalistic standards of the Broward Beat…His dissapearing wealth? Surely a few donations from RingPAC couldn’t sway the hammer of justice out of your steady hand, so take that hammer and nail this fool.
The readers deserve it.
June 10th, 2016 at 2:33 pm
It is well known around Fort Lauderdale City Hall that Mayor Jack Seiler is looking at the Attorney General spot
June 11th, 2016 at 5:15 pm
Buckhorn? He just insulted anyone who disagrees with him on his must-have choo-choo and tax increase. He called us liars and said we had half-baked ideas. He lost the Hillsborough County Commission vote twice on the tax he wants on the ballot.
If he runs, there are thousands of us here in Central FL who will do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn’t get elected. Tax and spend liberal Ds don’t do well statewide.
I don’t believe Sen. Ring is a DINO. And the comments from #3 reveal the “last bagel buys the vote” mentality in S. FL.
Ring’s an brilliant businessman and thinker. But he won’t be liberal enough for the looney far left and being a D from Broward will probably doom his chances statewide. That’s shame because he would make a good governor.
I’m NPA and have never donated to his campaign nor worked for his election either paid or as a volunteer.
June 20th, 2016 at 4:26 pm
Jeremy Ring has as much chance at becoming Governor as Nan Rich had.. RING IS A JOKE!
June 21st, 2016 at 10:47 am
Nan Rich is continuing her latest campaigning tradition. After losing her primary in 2014 for Governor; she and her supporters stayed home from the general November 2014 election. Allowing GOP Governor Rick Scott to easily win in November 2014. Now she is doing nothing for her own current 2016 election.
~Tradition~