There is one Florida Senate seat up for election on the Alachua County ballot: District 9.
District 9 accounts for parts of Levy County and Marion County, as well as the southern half of Alachua County. Sections of Gainesville neighborhoods are included just a few miles from UF campus, though the university itself is not.
There is no incumbent candidate for this race. Current District 9 Sen. Keith Perry was elected in 2016 and has been re-elected since, but he can’t run again due to term limits. Perry also served as a District 21 Florida House representative from 2010 to 2016.
Democratic candidate Sylvain Dore has lived in Gainesville for 13 years while working for UF. Originally born in Canada, Dore received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Montreal, his master’s in pharmacology from the University of Quebec at Montreal and then a medical degree from the University of Montreal. He moved to the U.S. in 1999. He worked at UF as a neuroscience professor before eventually rising to the level of UF Faculty Senate president and a member of the Board of Trustees. He has not run for elected office before.
Republican candidate Stan McClain has spent the past eight years as a Florida House Representative for District 27, serving Marion, Volusia and Lake counties. He currently lives in Ocala. He also served as a Marion County Commissioner from 2004 to 2016, re-elected twice. He has been a certified building contractor for the past 20 years. Throughout his tenure as an elected official, McClain has been a strong advocate for Second Amendment rights.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Sylvain Dore: “On day one, I will advocate for $12-18/day Early Learning from 6 weeks to pre-K. I accomplished a similar goal while on the UF Board of Trustees. I intend to continue the fight for funding our public schools, increasing teacher salaries, recruiting bus drivers. I will fight for Medicaid expansion so that up to 1.3 million Floridians can get health insurance coverage. We must stop governmental interference in our affairs and in women’s bodies and develop more personalized medicine for our newborns and elderly and include necessities such as glasses and dental care.”
Stan McClain: McClain did not respond to The Alligator’s questionnaire. However, his campaign website lists providing families access to charter schools and school vouchers, creating jobs through reduced taxation and water conservation as issues of importance. The site also mentions building a culture that “respects life and honors values like traditional marriage” and becoming a force to keep Florida free and “keep radical liberals at bay.”
Why are you running?
Sylvain Dore: “After 13 years as a brain doctor and professor at UF, with about 250 papers and training of numerous outstanding students, fellows and junior faculty, I now see way too many Floridians' struggles. It's heartbreaking that many can't achieve the American Dream or pass wealth or a worse environment to their kids. As a fiscally conservative Democrat and small real estate company owner, I feel a personal connection to these issues. The current Republican supermajority seems to be ignoring these needs and makes no effort to reach out and listen to what we really want. We need to lower the cost of living, protect reproductive rights, invest in schools/clinics and support medical professionals, teachers, librarians, bus drivers, officers, support staff, etc.”
Stan McClain: McClain did not respond to The Alligator’s questionnaire. However, he told Main Street Daily News he originally ran for office in the 2010s because he wanted to protect Florida’s children. “I am continuing to run for public office because I have a passion to serve others and there is still a lot to do for our citizens in Tallahassee,” he said.
When it comes to regulating higher education in Florida, what is your approach?
Sylvain Dore: “I believe legislators with political motives should limit their interference and avoid deciding what professors can and cannot discuss in classrooms and instead focus on funding all of our public institutions. Sadly, thanks to Republicans like my opponent, Florida’s public universities have been transformed from a space of true intellectual freedom to a space where students are allowed to think freely — just as long as they agree with the government. I would propose a bill that gives students and all staff at least a day per semester for a mental wellness check to provide information/diagnostic/treatment, de-stigmatize the issues, reduce isolation and sponsor activities to bring people together, limit the divide and increase happiness.”
Stan McClain: McClain did not respond to The Alligator’s questionnaire. His position on regulating higher education is unclear.
What would you do to reduce the cost of living in Florida?
Sylvain Dore: “We need a comprehensive approach to reducing the cost of living in Florida. This approach should include expanding affordable and workforce housing options, lowering healthcare costs, addressing insurance costs, supporting local agriculture and small businesses and building a sustainable future. Florida must incentivize sustainable development and limit rent hikes to ensure housing is accessible for all income levels. We must allow national programs to trickle down to the taxpayer Floridians and not turn down such opportunities for political gain. In terms of property insurance, I support having a consortium of disaster-prone states create a fund for insurance companies to lower rates.”
Stan McClain: McClain did not respond to The Alligator’s questionnaire. However, his campaign website lists lowering taxes as a means to put more money into Florida families’ pockets to “pursue the American dream.”
Do you support the current six-week abortion law? If not, what would you change?
Sylvain Dore: “I do not support the six-week abortion ban that my opponent co-sponsored in the Florida House of Representatives. I support enshrining reproductive freedom into the state constitution through Amendment 4, and I take my role seriously to limit the waste of tax dollars to fight against such change and to ratify each section of such amendment as it is intended and requested by the voice of such a public referendum.”
Stan McClain: McClain did not respond to The Alligator’s questionnaire. He co-sponsored the bill preventing abortions after 15 weeks. He then voted to pass the six-week abortion ban in 2023.
If recreational marijuana is legalized via Amendment 3, how would you regulate it?
Sylvain Dore: “For recreational marijuana, I support regulations on public safety and use, age limits and access control. I would also support defining clear workplace and public use policies to prevent disruptions to public safety. A portion of the tax revenue should be allocated to substance abuse prevention programs and mental health services to address some of the social issues that may arise from legalization. This approach would protect public health, generate revenue for community programs and ensure safe, controlled access to recreational marijuana.”
Stan McClain: McClain did not respond to The Alligator’s questionnaire. His position on marijuana is unclear.
What, in your view, is the most critical issue your district is currently facing?
Sylvain Dore: “There are three counties in Senate District 9: Marion, Levy and part of Alachua. Levy County does not have a hospital (and VA facilities), proper transportation, sufficient mobile clinic visits or trained specialists. We must expand high-speed internet and telehealth and provide healthcare incentives (and a more positive overall political environment) to fulfill the exponentially increasing urgent need for medical specialists and staff.”
Stan McClain: McClain did not respond to The Alligator’s questionnaire. His campaign website outlines economic and education issues as his priorities as a legislator.
The Alligator Editorial Board put together the candidates' answers for this article. You can reach them at editor@alligator.org.
