Yvonne Hayes Hinson
As a Gainesville native with two degrees from UF, Yvonne Hayes Hinson is passionate about being a leader within an area she knows and loves.
Caring for others is a priority for Hayes Hinson. She was an educator for children with special needs for more than 30 years, including as a principal at a magnet school for the arts in Miami. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education from UF in 1971 and 1972.
Hayes Hinson retired from the Miami-Dade public school system and started Childstart Learning Solutions LLC, which provides services and support to underperforming schools.
When she decided to run for U.S. House of Representatives District 3, which covers Gainesville, Palatka, part of Ocala and select Jacksonville suburbs in Florida, she said she did it to further serve her community in a new way.
“It had nothing to do with politics,” Hayes Hinson said. “It had to do with taking care of the people.”
Throughout her childhood, teachers and adults encouraged her to continue taking charge, she said.
“From day one, I knew I was a leader,” Hayes Hinson said. “Not because I was trained to be one, but it was because it was in me.”
Having a voice in Washington that will impact the local area is an important goal in bringing the heart and soul of the community to government, she said.
As an African American woman, Hayes Hinson doesn’t believe her race and gender cause her to focus on helping certain demographics but rather to focus on everyone, she said.
“This is about all people,” Hayes Hinson said. “Not African American, not white — it’s about all people.”
Hayes Hinson has held positions in the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee, the Gainesville Housing Authority Board and the Alachua County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She was also a Gainesville city commissioner from 2012 to 2015, she said.
Bringing well-paying jobs with livable wages, education reform, affordable child care, health care improvement, environmental concerns and criminal justice reforms are priorities for Hayes Hinson.
Hayes Hinson’s strong will and personality stand out, said her campaign manager Miles Davis.
“People come in for the candidate,” Davis said. “But people stay for the connections they’ve made with you.”
Davis is confident Hayes Hinson will win, he said.
“I know that she will go to Washington, and she will be an outstanding congresswoman,” Davis said.
Contact Dana Cassidy at dcassidy@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @danacassidy_
Ted Yoho
Before U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho became a congressman, he was a veterinarian rushing to a woman’s farm to treat her horse.
Sandy Werner, 76, of Alachua, heard rumors about Yoho’s political aspirations. She quizzed him on politics while he stitched her horse’s leg in the fall of 2011.
By the time Chance’s Czar was patched up, Yoho passed Werner’s test, she said. She offered him $1,000 — the first contribution of his political career — on her ranch that day.
“We were sorry to lose one of the finest horse vets around to the government, but we figured we needed him in Washington,” Werner said.
Yoho has represented District 3 since 2013. The 63-year-old Republican is running for re-election against Democrat Yvonne Hayes Hinson.
Yoho dove into Florida politics after about 30 years of practicing as a veterinarian. He graduated from the UF College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983.
Yoho decided to pursue politics after the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, he said. His goal is to reform health care to lower costs.
“I think everybody should have access to health care that’s affordable, but I don’t believe the government should provide that,” he said.
Yoho looks at issues from a district and national point of view, he said. When he focuses on his district, the local economy is a priority.
If re-elected, he plans to strengthen immigration laws, revamp foreign policy and implement cybersecurity legislation. As someone who cherishes the Constitution, Yoho said he was tired of career politicians spending years in office and accomplishing little.
When asked who inspires him, Yoho keeps his list short: his dad, Jesus Christ, the Founding Fathers and his wife, Carolyn.
In 2016, Yoho endorsed then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. In August, the president returned the favor on Twitter. Yoho was also endorsed by the National Rifle Association, which gave him an A rating for supporting pro-gun legislation.
“People will show up at the polls to defend their constitutional rights,” he said.
Yoho received $995,064 in monetary donations and goods and services offered, according to campaign finances.
State Rep. Chuck Clemons said Yoho hasn’t lost touch with the people back home in Florida, unlike most politicians.
Clemons said he saw Yoho’s generosity the weekend after Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle. The two representatives drove 20 hours to Gulf County, which is outside of Yoho’s district, with a team of 30 people and four trailer trucks of supplies.
Yoho won’t appear on Gulf County ballots but jumped on the chance to help, Clemons said.
“There isn’t a partisan way to help a fellow human being,” he said. “I think our country needs more of that.”
Contact Amanda Rosa at arosa@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @AmandaNicRosa
Yoho, left, and Hayes Hinson, right
