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Rubio Independent Challenger Suggests Blind Votes on Sensitive Measures

Tony Khoury proposes 'secretive' votes to break 'hyper-partisan' gridlock

Florida independent Senate candidate Tony Khoury, center, advocates a "secretive" vote on some sensitive measures as a way of breaking gridlock in Washington. (Courtesy Tony Khoury for U.S. Senate Facebook page)
Florida independent Senate candidate Tony Khoury, center, advocates a "secretive" vote on some sensitive measures as a way of breaking gridlock in Washington. (Courtesy Tony Khoury for U.S. Senate Facebook page)

An independent Senate candidate running against Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has a solution to what he calls the”hyper-partisanship” in Washington: blind voting.

“We should have 100 white marbles [and] 100 black marbles, and we should have a secretive vote so that way every senator will go in there and he has a choice,” Coral Gables aviation businessman Tony Khoury told the Miami Herald‘s editorial board.

Khoury told the newspaper that he isn’t worried that constituents wouldn’t know how their legislators are voting.

[Independent Candidate Sues to Get in Florida Senate Debates]

Candidates should not be concerned with whether or not constituents know how their representative voted because on issues such as Zika funding, where good things are happening, it does not matter, Khoury said.

“In certain issues, does it matter when they have good things happening for the American people? Does it matter?” Khoury said. “The issue we had in February, the $1.9 billion which is now $1.1 [billion] for the Zika — do I really care who said ‘no’ against it? I don’t want to know.”

Khoury, who immigrated to the U.S. from Jerusalem 40 years ago, is one of four independents running against Republican Rubio, Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy and Libertarian Paul Stanton. The other independents are Bruce Nathan, Steven Machat and Basil E. Dalack.

Khoury also had harsh takes on the major party candidates.

He chided Rubio for running for president while still serving his Senate term and taking money from conservative mega donors, the Koch brothers.

[Poll: Rubio Leads Murphy by 6 Points in Florida Senate Race]

And he called Murphy, the 33 year-old son of a millionaire, “Kid Murphy,” adding that he has no life experience and that the Democratic Party is courting him so his father would be a big donor.

“The people of Florida deserve better leadership, new unselfish, leadership — such as myself,” Khoury said.

He also declared to the board his support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. 

“Remember, he’s a businessman. He was acting a little bit, and he had his own TV show,” Khoury said. “This country — we need new outside leadership, better leadership with no interest to become billionaires.”

 

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