ST PETERSBURG -- A fifth Republican has thrown her hat into the ring in a very crowded race for a congressional seat currently based in south Pinellas.
Audrey Henson started a nonprofit called College to Congress to address a problem with congressional internships. They're unpaid so only those who have parents with at least middle-class wealth can afford to take them. This nonprofit raises funds to pay low-income students the salary they would get if the internship was paid. Henson says she's also the founder of a construction company.
In her kickoff announcement, Henson says she grew up on food stamps and Medicaid with parents who struggled with substance abuse. But she says big government progrma like those only hurt the poor.
Henson joins Amanda Makki, Anna Paulina Luna, William Braddock and little-known Moneer Kheireddine on the GOP side. Ben Diamond, Christian Hotchkiss, Eric Lynn and Michelle Rayner are running for the Democrats, and Libertarian Frank Craft is also aiming for the seat currently held by Charlie Crist, who's leaving to run for governor.
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