It has not attracted much notice outside the First Coast but on qualifying deadline day, Ambassador Nancy Soderberg became a candidate for Senate District 4. The heavily Republican seat , but it is still exciting to see the name of someone I have an incredible amount of respect for as a candidate for Florida Senate. Our state has been long guilty of attracting some of the lowest caliber people in the nation to run for public office in both parties, but Soderberg is as clear an exception to that rule as you will find.
Ambassador Soderberg who has been serving as the Distinguished Visiting Scholar at UNF for the past several resides in Jacksonville. I first came across on Ambassador Soderberg when we were on the same Jacksonville radio program in early 2008. I was on hold listening to the show, in disbelief about the intelligence and sheer stature of the person I was listening to. In an age when Foreign Policy rhetoric has been ratcheted up for political purposes, it was refreshing to hear someone who had the depth of experience and understanding of world affairs to give real analysis.
I’ve subsequently either seen Ambassador Soderberg or read her analysis in several different media outlets, including the Daily Show. Her resume speaks for itself as she has been a senior adviser, diplomat and . She’s recently penned thoughtful, concise columns such as this one in the Hill newspaper about the problems facing the globe including climate change.
Given the Republican tilt of the Jacksonville area, it is unlikely Ambassador Soderberg will be elected. I am not sure her motivations for running for state office but hope it begins a trend of well connected, accomplished and qualified Democrats running for state office in Florida.
She is going to be great!
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