This campaign is all about you and your family.  That’s why Chris needs your help – and help from all of your friends – in filling out this petition to put him on the ballot this November.

Here’s all you need to do:

1. Download the Petition

2. Print the Petition

3. Fill out all of the Information Requested

4. Sign and Date the Petition

5. Mail the Petition to Chris’ Campaign Headquarters

Chris Craft for Congress

P.O. Box 1328

Ft. Pierce, FL 34954

In order for the petition to be valid, you must include your full name (printed), address where you are a resident and registered to vote, and voter registration number or date of birth.  You must also be a registered voter in the 16th Congressional District.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call our headquarters at (772) 460-8683.

Ft. Pierce, FL – St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Craft issued the following statement today regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti and encouraged Floridians to do what they can to help to help recovery efforts.

“Like so many others, my heart and prayers are with the people of Haiti and their families during this difficult time.  Yesterday’s earthquake was tragic in so many ways and it highlighted the needs of our neighbor right here in the Western Hemisphere,” said Commissioner Craft.  “Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and now, more than ever, it needs help from all of us.  I applaud the quick steps that have already been taken by the State Department to help Haiti recover and urge that these efforts continue.  I also encourage Floridians across the state to give what they can to help recovery efforts.” 

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Ft. Pierce, FL – St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Craft today expressed his deep concerns about the impact that the recent freeze has had on Florida agriculture and offered his continued support as growers and farmers assess the damage. Commissioner Craft also called on Congress to immediately begin preparing legislation to provide emergency assistance to growers and farmers who lost crops so that the bill will be ready for consideration when Congress returns to Washington later this month.

“No one in Florida was hit harder by this recent freeze than our state’s agriculture industry, which is critical to the well-being of the 16th District and is already hurting from a struggling economy. I stand with those who have been impacted and am fully committed to helping the state’s agriculture community recover from this disaster,” said Commissioner Craft. “I call on Congress to begin drafting legislation today that will provide emergency assistance to our growers, farmers, fishermen and others in the agriculture community whose businesses and livelihoods may have been hurt by the recent freeze. By starting today, the bill can be fully vetted and ready for immediate passage when Congress returns to Washington later this month.”

When elected to the U.S. House of Representative, Commissioner Craft intends to seek a seat on the House Committee on Agriculture.

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“I am deeply concerned by reports that have surfaced today suggesting that the President and Congressional leaders are considering bypassing a formal conference committee on the health care bill. 

“Providing more Americans with access to affordable and quality health care is one of the most important issues of this generation.  If the American people are going to get fully behind this bill, then we need a bipartisan solution with bipartisan support.  We also need a genuine effort from Tom Rooney and Washington Republicans – something that has not yet taken place – to make the bill better and help the 160,000 uninsured residents of the 16th District gain access to quality health care. 

“Just because Democrats can pass this bill without Republicans doesn’t mean that we should.”

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Ft. Pierce, FL – St. Lucie County Commissioner and candidate for Congress Chris Craft issued the following statement today honoring America’s veterans:

“Today we take time to honor America’s veterans and thank them for their commitment to protecting our freedom and country.  Without the service and sacrifices of the millions who have served and are serving in America’s Armed Forces, we would not be the great country that we are today.

“At a time when thousands of veterans are returning home from war each month, America must recommit itself to fulfilling the promises that we have made to them.  No veteran in America should ever go without health care or be forced to wait for months to get a doctor’s appointment at the VA, go without a quality education or worry about housing.  Our troops should never have to worry if their families are being taken care of when they are at war or if they are going to be taken care of when they return home.

“Let us use this opportunity to commend and honor those who have served this country with pride, honor and dignity and promise my support for those who wear the uniform of our Armed Forces today.  Our freedom and safety are testaments to the sacrifices they have made.”

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Some highlights:

Why I’m running:

St. Lucie Commissioner Chris Craft reviewed U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney’s voting record last August, and what he saw clinched his decision to challenge the first-term incumbent.

“Unfortunately, Tom isn’t as independent as we need,” Craft said. “I care more about what the people of the 16th District want than what either John Boehner or Nancy Pelosi want.”

Craft, 36, a Lakewood Park Democrat, pointed out that Rooney, a Tequesta Republican, voted against Congress’ stimulus package even though it provided funding for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and Veterans Administration hospitals.

Rooney also voted against funding for a health insurance program for children, said Craft, who added that he served for five years on the board of a Healthy Kids program…

A little bit about me and my life:

Craft said he learned to make tough choices while growing up on Florida’s Treasure Coast. His father left his mother when he was young. His mother remarried and his stepfather adopted him, but that father died of cancer when Craft was in his senior year in high school.

“I had to make some choices between going to school or going to work,” he said. “I made the choice of not losing the only thing I had, the house my mom and dad had tried to hang on to.”

And my priorities:

Craft counts health care and renewable energy as priorities.

To improve health care, Craft said Congress should establish public campaign financing to curb the influence of health industry lobbyists.

Asked to size up President Barack Obama, Craft said there have been some “missed opportunities.” He said Obama’s stimulus package could have more focused on “sustainable jobs,” and Obama could have provided clearer direction on his health care plan.

However, Craft seemed in sync with Obama’s renewable energy strategy. Craft said he supports federal tax credits for solar energy investments.

“Solar should be wherever there’s sunlight — on every roof top in America,” he said.

Okeechobee News

September 20, 2009

Congressional candidate visits Okeechobee

By Charles Murphy

Okeechobee News

Democrat Chris Craft, a two-term County Commissioner in St. Lucie County, made his first campaign visit to Okeechobee this week since he announced he will campaign for the 16^th congressional seat.

Craft met with business leaders and community leaders to talk about issues that are important to them.  He stated that St. Lucie and Okeechobee really share a lot of common concerns like job creation and the economy.

“The District is wide with a lot of wind shield time.  It’s unfortunate the amount of time you spend on the road.  I’d rather spend it with constituents and discuss issues that are important to them.  The business of campaign is not easy, we don’t expect it to be easy.  We’re excited we will offer people real choices in this election,” he said.

Mr. Craft maintains he will provide a moderate voice if elected.  He describes himself as a fiscal conservative who helped pare down the St. Lucie County budget by $176 million over the past few years.  “Washington has been hijacked by extremes of both parties, we need to bring this conversation back to the middle.  That’s where the majority of citizens are in the country and in Okeechobee.”

Mr. Craft said he has tried to include Okeechobee in regional economic development plans.  He said he has worked to bring Torrey Pines and other research institutes to the Treasure Coast.  He noted creativity and not rhetoric, will solve the country’s ailments.

On health care reform, Mr. Craft said he thinks both sides need to work together to come up with something that is good for the country.  “Health care reform is a complex issue.  It will require a lot of debate.  We must listen to all the voices and dispense with the rhetoric and talk about the real issues.  We can make serious strides in solving the issue.”

Mr. Craft said he thinks the economy will improve if we can build a sustainable job base.  He states that when he votes on issues involving economic development, he tries to create not only construction and short term jobs, but sustainable jobs for the future.

“I’m confident the candidates will keep this above board.  We’ll have differences of opinions and differences in the way we vote.  If we allow rhetoric to control the debate, the voters will miss out.  I’ve included Okeechobee in our economic development discussions on the Treasure Coast.  We talk about bringing jobs to this community.  What benefits Okeechobee, will benefit St. Lucie and the entire region.”

The images of the terrorist attacks of September 11 will forever be etched in our minds.  It is a day that will live in infamy and none of us will ever forget where we were at that tragic moment.  It is a day that that we will use to teach our children about the evils that exist in the world as well as the enormous amount of support and human compassion that came about in the aftermath of the attacks.

We will undoubtedly spend time today thinking about where we have come as a nation in these eight years as Americans participate in today’s National Day of Service.  Today is more than a day of reflection, and we should also take time to thank and honor those who are already doing everything they can to protect us and make America a better place. 

There are almost 200,000 American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq right now.  We must make sure that they and others stationed stateside and abroad always have the resources they need to be successful.   Even more, we must do whatever it takes to help their families while they are gone and fulfill our commitment to take care of them when they come home.  This includes fully funding veterans’ health care programs, making it possible for veterans to continue their education, providing job opportunities to veterans, and offering counseling and assistance to those who experience difficulties when they return home.

Indeed, there are many challenges facing America today.  As our country reflects on the tragedy of September 11, we recommit ourselves to making America and the world everything that we want it to be.

I know firsthand what it’s like for those who are both uninsured and underinsured.  I know what it’s like when paying the doctor bills means that the other bills – food, electricity, and mortgage – pile up and don’t get paid.  I know what it’s like to make the difficult decision to delay college and go to work so that those bills get paid.

In recent days, debate has waged on about the future of health care in America.  People from all walks of life are expressing their opinions about what our health care system ought to look like and what provisions any health care reform bill should include.

When I’m in Congress, before earning my support, health care reform, at a minimum, has to accomplish these four things:

First, we need to reduce the cost of health care.

Second, we need to preserve a person’s right to choose his or her own doctor.

Third, we need ensure that medical decisions are left in the hands of the experts.  Doctors – not insurance companies – should to be the ones making medical decisions.

Fourth, health care reform can not bankrupt the country.

When you think about what my dad and my family went through during his last days and hear about so many stories just like it, it becomes more and more troubling as politicians from both sides of aisle use this issue as a political weapon to instill fear and confusion. 

America is the wealthiest country in the world, yet we still haven’t figured out how to expand coverage and reduce the cost of health care.  As a result, too many Florida families are forced to do without quality health care because it is too expensive.

That’s not OK with me, and it shouldn’t be OK with any Member of Congress.

In conversations with Republicans and Democrats, business owners, teachers, workers, doctors, and countless others, it is clear that the people of the 16^th Congressional District want someone with a moderate and independent voice representing them in Congress.  They want someone who won’t hesitate to question his party’s leadership and stand up for the people of this district.

This election is not going to be won without your help.  That’s why today we kicked off our campaign’s 16 on 16 Program.

On the 16^th of every month, I ask you to donate $16.16 to my campaign.  With your support, we will be able to engage more people, reach more voters, and get our message out.

To participate in the 16 on 16 Program, click here .  And be sure to ask your friend to participate as well!