Willie Logan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Willie Logan
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| Member of the Florida House of Representatives |
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| In office January 1983 – January 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Robert R. Reynolds (108th) Michael Friedman (103rd) |
| Succeeded by | Beryl D. Roberts (108th) Wilbert Holloway (103rd) |
| Constituency | 108th district (1983–1993) 103rd district (1993–2001) |
| Mayor of Opa-Locka, Florida | |
| In office 1980–1982 |
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| Preceded by | Willie Young |
| Succeeded by | Helen L. Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 16, 1957 Miami-Dade County, Florida |
Willie Logan was born on February 16, 1957. He is an American politician from the state of Florida. He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives. In 2000, he ran for the United States Senate as an Independent candidate.
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Early Life and Education
Willie Logan grew up in Northern Miami-Dade County, Florida. He finished high school in 1975. After that, he went to Miami-Dade Community College. There, he earned an associate's degree. He then continued his studies at the University of Miami. In 1977, he received a Bachelor of Science degree.
Starting in Politics
After college, Logan worked in the insurance business for three years. He also volunteered for several political campaigns. In 1980, at just 23 years old, he ran for public office for the first time. He was elected mayor of Opa-locka, Florida. This made him one of the youngest mayors in the United States at that time.
That same year, he started the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation. This is a non-profit group. A non-profit organization works to help the community, not to make money. Logan helped this group grow into a large organization with several smaller parts.
Time in the Florida House
Willie Logan served in the Florida House of Representatives for 16 years. He became a very experienced lawmaker. In 1998, he faced a challenge for a leadership role. He was hoping to become the first African American Speaker-designate. However, other lawmakers chose someone else for the position. This caused some disagreement between Logan and his political party.
Because of this, Logan decided to support a different candidate for Governor that year. He also began thinking about running for the U.S. Senate as an Independent. An Independent candidate does not belong to a major political party.
Running for U.S. Senate
On September 29, 1999, Willie Logan officially announced his plan to run for the U.S. Senate. He ran as an Independent candidate. His campaign slogan was "Think Independent." To spread his message, he took a motorcycle tour across Florida. The tour ended with a big event at the state capitol in Tallahassee.
Logan's main campaign idea was about changing how political campaigns are funded. He wanted to make sure that "Big Money politics" did not have too much influence. He also promised to protect the environment and support gun safety laws. Other goals included helping regular families with taxes and protecting Social Security.
Election Results
Many polls showed that Logan had a good amount of support. He was even able to join televised debates with other major candidates. Many people thought he did well in these debates. However, on Election Day, his support did not translate into many votes. He finished in third place. He received about 80,830 votes, which was about 1.38% of the total.
Later Political Efforts
After leaving the Florida House, Logan tried to return to politics in 2004. He ran for Miami-Dade County Commissioner. He ran as a Democrat this time. He placed second in the first election round. However, he lost in the final election to another Democrat, Barbara Jordan. He received 39% of the votes in that race.
See also
- Youth politics
