Kionne McGhee

Kionne L. McGhee (born November 23, 1977) is a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 117th District, which includes central Miami-Dade County, stretching from Richmond Heights to Florida City, since 2012. He was elected to serve as the House Minority Leader following the 2018 House elections.[1]. McGhee is running for Miami-Dade County Comission District 9 in 2020.[2]

Kionne McGhee
Minority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives
Assumed office
November 19, 2018
Preceded byJanet Cruz
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 117th district
Assumed office
November 6, 2012
Preceded byRedistricted
Personal details
Born (1977-11-23) November 23, 1977
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Stacy McGhee
Children3
EducationHoward University (BS)
Texas Southern University (JD)

History

McGhee was born in Miami and attended Howard University, where he graduated with a degree in political science in 2000, and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law of Texas Southern University, where he received a Juris doctor. After graduating, McGhee wrote "A Mere I Can is American," his memoir, and started working as an assistant state attorney in Miami-Dade County.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2010, McGhee ran for the Florida House of Representatives in the 118th District, based in Miami-Dade County, in the Democratic primary against incumbent State Representative Dwight Bullard. In a closely fought election, McGhee narrowly lost to Bullard by 399 votes, receiving 47% of the vote.

Florida House districts were reconfigured in 2012 and Bullard successfully ran for the Florida State Senate, meaning that the newly created 117th District, which included most of the territory in the previous 118th District, was an open seat. McGhee opted to run there, and was opposed by Carmen Morris and Harold Ford in the Democratic primary, whom he was able to comfortably defeat, receiving 65% of the vote to Morris's 17% and Ford's 20%. He advanced to the general election, where he was elected unopposed.

In 2014, when the legislature considered a bill that would have allowed "unlicensed gun owners to carry their weapons after evacuating during an emergency," which McGhee voted against when it was considered before the House Judiciary Committee, saying that it would result in "local militias." The Miami Herald praised McGhee for his "sensibly cast" vote against the legislation, which it called "misguided."[3] Additionally, when the legislature failed to act on legislation sponsored by State Senator Dwight Bullard and State Representative Cynthia Stafford that would have raised the state's minimum wage from $7.93 to $10.10 an hour, McGhee joined several of his colleagues in living on the minimum wage for a week, and was followed by TV cameras while he purchased food for the week at a Publix store.[4]

References
  1. Koh, Elizabeth (April 25, 2019). "Florida House Democrats name next leaders". Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  2. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/298085-mcghee-miami-dade-county-commission
  3. "Shoot this down". Miami Herald. April 3, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  4. McGrory, Kathleen (April 11, 2014). "Democrats call attention to raising Florida's minimum wage, but it's a losing battle". Miami Herald. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
Florida House of Representatives
Preceded by
Janet Cruz		 Minority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives
2018–present		 Incumbent
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