"I would like to announce my candidacy for our state board for the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. For those who do not know me as well as others, you can check out my bio below:
Christopher Carlos Cano is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and New Leaders Council Tampa Bay 2016 Fellow.
In his time serving in the U.S. Air Force, Christopher developed many of the core values that he still lives by today. His military career cut short by a knee injury, Chris matriculated to the University of South Florida where he continued his public service, interning in the Florida House of Representatives with House Minority Whip Michael Scionti and later seeking to represent his community in public office as a state representative himself. Cano has served as the Florida Deputy State Director for Young Adults for the League of United Latin American Citizens and as regional director for Mi Familia Vota in the Tampa Bay area where has worked for the passage of comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented residents. His final act as a Student Senator at the University of South Florida included the sponsoring and passage of a resolution to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students. Graduating with a Masters Degree in Public Administration in 2013, public service remains his calling.
Cano’s post-graduate work includes serving as the Hillsborough County Democratic Hispanic Caucus President and working as an organizer for Charlie Crist for Governor in 2014, United for Care’s Medical Marijuana Amendment campaign in 2015, and overseeing a successful field campaign for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s race in 2016 which unseated one of the worst Republican prosecutors in the country. Today Christopher spends his days coordinating public policy efforts for the Service Employees International Union’s members. Yet, the reason most people know him is his advocacy work as a founder of the Suncoast Chapter for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Founded in 2014, almost a decade later, Suncoast NORML stands as the largest and most influential marijuana policy group in Florida having worked to make it legal for medical use statewide and collaborating with local governments to adopt decriminalization ordinances while pressuring members of Congress to end cannabis prohibition. Chris continues to fight for a patient-centric system that will provide safe and accessible cannabis to those who need it.
Throughout his battles both publicly and privately, Christopher’s wife Anais has been a guiding light when things have been at their most tumultuous. His values have been shaped by a moral compass consistently pointing towards protecting and expanding civil rights and advancing social justice. His body of public policy work for students, immigrants, patients, and workers stands as a testament to his commitment to progress in America."
~ Chris Cano ~
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