Samuel Vilchez Santiago

Vilchez Santiago earned an associate degree from Valencia College in 2015, a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 2019, and a graduate degree from the University of Oxford in 2023. His career experience includes working as the Florida campaign manager at All Voting is Local and in nonprofit management. He was also a fellow at Google, a diversity and inclusion fellow at Hillary for America, and the campaign manager for Johanna Lopez for Orange County School Board.[1][2]

Vilchez Santiago has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

CCiudadano, deputy director and founding member

Voces Unidas por la Educación, vice-president

New Leaders Council

Orange County Charter Review Commission, member

Florida Youth Commission, member

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Samuel Vilchez Santiago is a nonprofit leader, Democratic Party official, and advocate who proudly calls East Orlando home. Born in Venezuela, he came to the United States as a political refugee with his family at age 13 after fleeing political persecution. Like many immigrant families, they arrived with very little and worked hard to build a new life in Central Florida. His parents took on multiple jobs to support their family, which at times relied on public schools, Medicaid, and food assistance.

A graduate of Orange County Public Schools, Samuel was named Valedictorian of Colonial High School. He went on to become the first person in his family to attend college in the United States, earning a degree in Politics from Princeton University and a Master of Public Policy with distinction from the University of Oxford.

Samuel's commitment to public service began as a teenager when he started volunteering on political campaigns and organizing in his community. Over the past decade, he has built a career advancing voting rights, educational opportunity, immigrant inclusion, and civic engagement. He currently serves as Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, the youngest in Florida, and as a Senior Manager at ActBlue, where he works with thousands of nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups across the country.

Throughout his career, Samuel has remained committed to creating opportunities for others and strengthening the communities that helped his family succeed.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Samuel Vilchez Santiago's top priority is addressing the issues that directly affect people's daily lives rather than engaging in divisive cultural wars. He will focus on lowering costs and improving Floridians' quality of life. He emphasizes expanding access to healthcare by closing Florida's Medicaid coverage gap, addressing the state's property insurance crisis to bring down costs for homeowners, and increasing investment in affordable housing programs to help working families find stable housing. Samuel believes that too many Floridians are struggling with rising housing, healthcare, and insurance costs despite working hard every day.As a graduate of Orange County Public Schools who went on to earn degrees from Princeton and Oxford, Samuel credits public education with helping him achieve opportunities that changed the course of his life. He believes that every child deserves access to a high-quality education regardless of their background, neighborhood, or family income. He will support more funding public schools, increasing teacher salaries, expanding career and technical education opportunities, strengthening workforce development programs, and ensuring students are prepared for success in college, careers, and civic life. Samuel believes education remains one of the most effective tools for expanding opportunity and strengthening communities.Having escaped political persecution as a child, Samuel will take on MAGA extremists to protect our democracy and secure Floridians' right to vote. Throughout his career, he has worked on voter engagement, civic participation, and efforts to increase access to the democratic process. He will focus on protecting voting rights, promoting fair representation, opposing partisan gerrymandering, increasing government transparency and accountability, and encouraging greater civic participation.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Growing up, my family relied on Medicaid, public schools, and the opportunities this country provided after we arrived as political refugees from Venezuela. Those experiences shaped the issues I care most about today: education, healthcare, immigration, and democracy. I believe every child deserves access to a quality education, every family should be able to afford healthcare, immigrants should have a fair opportunity to succeed, and our democratic institutions must be protected and strengthened for future generations.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Organizations:

Florida Education Association (FEA)

Florida AFL-CIO

SEIU Florida

Emgage Action Florida

IUPAT District Council 78

Equality Florida

Latino Victory Fund

National Organization for Women

Giffords

Elected Officials:

State Rep. Johanna López

Congressman Darren Soto

Congressman Maxwell Frost

State Senators Carlos Guillermo Smith, Kristen Arrington and LaVon Bracy Davis

State Reps. Anna V. Eskamani, Rita Harris, Leonard Spencer, Jose Alvarez, etc

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer

State Attorney Monique Worrell

Public Defender Melissa Vickers

Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph

Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado

Orange County Commissioners Kelly Martinez Semrad, Nicole Wilson and Mike Scott

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Samuel Vilchez Santiago is a fearless, effective, and innovative leader who has worked in our community for over ten years. The son of a small business owner and a special education assistant teacher, Samuel moved to Azalea Park at a young age as a political refugee from Venezuela who didn't know any English.

After graduating as Valedictorian at Colonial High School, Samuel went on to graduate with honors from Princeton University. In 2018, he led a historic youth-run campaign to get Johanna López elected as the first Latina and Puerto Rican OCPS School Board member. He also served as the Communications Director for the March for our Lives in Orlando, helping to mobilize over 20,000 people to march against gun violence in Central Florida.

He currently serves as the Florida Campaign Manager for All Voting is Local, a non-profit organization that works to protect our right to vote. He is a member of the Orange County Charter Review Commission, where he has championed the protection of our environment, ethics reform, and equal representation for all. He is a board member of Voces Unidas por La Educación, Cciudadano, and the Hispanic Democratic Caucus.

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Samuel is the recipient of President Obama's Volunteer Service Award, the Congressional Youth Award, and a Rhodes Scholar Finalist. As our State Representative, Samuel will fight to make sure that every kid and family in our community has access to the same opportunities he had.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Samuel Vilchez Santiago grew up, went to school, and has worked in district 48 for close to ten years. He understands, from personal experience, the issues that affect our district the most.Samuel Vilchez Santiago has a history of making change happen in our community; from leading a historic campaign to get Johanna Lopez elected as the first Latina member of the Orange County School Board to championing environmental rights and transparency as a member of the Orange County Charter Review Commission.Samuel Vilchez Santiago's priorities are in alignment with needs of residents of District 48: Affordable housing, healthcare expansion, workers' empowerment, and improving our education system. His progressive platform will bring about real-change to our community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable Healthcare:

Having seen my family struggle to afford healthcare coverage and even be totally uninsured at points, I believe access to affordable, quality healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. I will work to expand Medicaid coverage, make access to mental health readily available for all, and defend women's reproductive rights, including expanding pre-natal and post-natal care options.

Economic Empowerment:

From personal experience, I understand our community succeeds when no one is left behind, especially during such difficult times. I will work to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, ensure sick paid leave for all workers, fix Florida's broken unemployment system and stand up for our small businesses by cutting unnecessary red tape.

Education:

My personal story has demonstrated the value of a good public education, and that's why I have made it my personal goal to expand educational opportunities for our youngest generations. I will champion our students by fighting to expand the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, increase wages for teachers and other education professionals, establish additional support systems for ELL and ESE students, and cut excessive testing.