Luis Salazar is running for Florida House District 64, a Hillsborough seat currently held by Susan Valdes, against Mike Suarez and Jose Sanchez-Sanchez. His campaign platform focuses on working-class experience, Hispanic representation and generational change.

Authentic representation, Salazar told Poliverse, starts with speaking Spanish and understanding the struggles families navigate each day. He worked for the Hispanic Services Council, which operates within 10 Hillsborough communities, teaching immigrant families “the skills and systems they need in the United States.”

“In Florida right now we are going through a hurtful time financially,” he said. “Basic things we see as everyday items, like rice and beans and toilet paper, are inaccessible to many people. We need authentic candidates from the [Hispanic] working class who understand these struggles.”

Direct communication with the Latin community is central to his campaign. Leaders, he said, must understand what “the average person feels in Florida right now – do I pay rent or pay the electric bill.” He criticized the Legislature as being “full of lawyers” who have “lost touch with that feeling – the touch of base with real life. If you don’t have that, you can’t fight for real people.”

Of his time with the Hispanic Services Council, Salazar called it “the Lord’s work – doing a lot with a little.” Government, in his view, “can’t do everything,” and programs “at the ground level” are essential. That experience, according to Salazar, shows that “we’ve forgotten the working class.”

His day one priority is the insurance crisis. “Right now we need to sit down with the insurance lobbyists, and say, look you aren’t helping the average person.” Even a small reduction, “even if we can only reduce it by 10%,” would matter. Political attention, he said, has drifted toward cultural fights while families face rising bills. “Right now we are distracted by things like flag bans and who’s using what bathroom, but we all need to pay a mortgage, electric bill and water bill. Everyone across Florida is feeling the burn right now. That is not the American way. That is not the dream I was sold.”

He continued: “We need a younger generation in office. We need a leader who isn’t just going to be here for the title.” Generational change, he said, means understanding your limits. “This is the generation of AI and the internet. This is a generation that has seen changes that have far exceeded any other.” At 43, he added, “I’m living in a world that’s no longer mine. We need to help the next generation, throw a ladder behind, and help them.”

Young people, he noted, are often invited into politics but then pushed aside. “If you are the person who says young people should be involved in politics, then you should get out of the way when they do.” Leaders must “give young people space to express themselves” and become better mentors.

He closed by saying that he is committed to mentoring younger people if elected. “I’m using young people within my campaign. When I get elected I will include them on my staff and give them positions that are equal to the knowledge they have.”

“We cannot only say we support young people but give them positions of power to be in the rooms where everyone is talking about their future. I’m 43 now. It’s no longer about me. It’s for them.”