For Jason Mariner, the road to politics was long and difficult, but it makes for a compelling story.
The 35-year-old Jupiter resident served two stretches in state prison over two years for drug and theft violations. He said an injury led to an addiction to prescription drugs and his life spiraled downhill from there. He got clean, regained the right to vote through Amendment 4 and is now a Republican candidate for Congress in the 20th District in Broward and Palm Beach counties. “I’ve been through hell and back,” Mariner told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board.
Determined to rebuild his life, the father of two sons co-founded a drug and alcohol detox center and vehicle advertising business and wants to be the next member of Congress from Florida, as his website explains. His odds of reaching Capitol Hill are longer than when he was battling to overcome an opioid addiction nearly a decade ago, because Democrats outnumber Republicans in this district by a 5-to-1 margin.
Mariner’s opponent in the Nov. 2 primary is Greg Musselwhite, 55, of Fort Pierce, who ran against Democrat Alcee Hastings last year and received 21% of the vote. Musselwhite did not respond to interview requests. Neither candidate completed our questionnaire, but Mariner was interviewed. Only Republicans can vote in this closed primary and the winner faces the Democratic nominee on Jan. 11, 2022.
Mariner’s views are as far as possible from those of most district voters. He strongly defended Donald Trump, denied that the ex-president undermines democracy, and dodged our questions about whether Joe Biden won fairly. He opposes abortion rights and stricter gun laws and even opposes the state law, passed after the Parkland school massacre and supported by many Republicans, that raised the minimum age to buy a gun in Florida from 18 to 21.
If elected, he said, he would improve a “broken” criminal justice system that he knows well. Mariner has lived the struggle and he believes in second chances. In the Republican primary for U.S. House, District 20, the Sun Sentinel recommends Jason Mariner.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.
