Barbie Harden-Hall remembers being in a Pittsburgh hospital with her son, Everett, 2. He fought a rare, fatal disease and the hospital offered his last hope to survive.
On January 1, 2022, she —and her husband Ryan – traveled from their home in Mount Dora, Florida to Pittsburgh. They knew a chord-blood transplant could save her son’s life. He was diagnosed in 2021 with MLD (metachromatic leukodystrophy).
Everett had a chord-blood transplant at the end of January, 2022. But it wasn’t enough. He died in May due to complications from the transplant.
That tragic loss is not the end of Barbie Harden-Hall’s story.
It’s the beginning.
The fatal illness and death of her infant son drove Hall into politics. Among her goals is health care for families and getting federal action to help Floridians deal with the home -insurance crisis.
This 38-year-old mom is running as a Democrat for Congress in Florida’s 11th District.
“I used to be a full-time wife,” she said. “Now I’m a full-time candidate. And I’m not getting paid.”
There are, however, reasons beyond money and power for her Congressional bid.
“For me, this race is personal, as well as political,” Harden-Hall said. “It’s about my son and my family and helping other families with children facing rare diseases.”
For nearly three years, she has been an advocate for those families. Before she ran for office, she traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with Florida Congressional leaders. But it wasn’t enough.
She said her congressman, Daniel Webster, and his staff did not schedule time to meet with her, or other advocates in Washington in 2023 for Rare Diseases Week.
“I found out, you have to be on the inside to get things done,” she said. She and the other families met with most of the Florida Congressional delegation. They were hoping to get political pressure for a gene-therapy treatment in the U.S.
Harden-Hall said she was told by another person attempting to see Webster, that there was no political benefit for him to see them. Not even on a zoom call.
“I was tired of hearing, you can’t do anything unless you know somebody or get a big name to support you,” she said. “I had to do something.”
This year, Harden-Hall said, Webster’s office staff did meet with her and other parents. It came, she said, after she decided to run and for her, it was too little, too late.
“You tell a mom that a seat at the table is only available for those that can provide a benefit, but not grieving parents and children just needing help –then be prepared to fight,” she told Floridapolitics.com. She added:
“I’m ready and prepared to do the work that Mr. Webster does not believe is necessary. It is time to work for the people who need it, and not work for our own self interests.
“I am ready to do that. I am ready to listen to the issues you are facing, and not just what we are told by political pundits that we must be afraid of.”
When she announced her candidacy, Hall described her political motivation:
“If you ever wondered how far a mother would go to fight for the health, well-being and lives of my children – and others who are suffering — the answer just might be to run for federal office.”
It sounds Quixotic, but Harden-Hall is now running against Webster. He’s a veteran politician and Congressman, whose political career spans nearly five decades. For nearly the past decade, he has held the 11th District seat.
The 11th District – which includes The Villages — has long been a Republican stronghold and some might call her race a lost cause.
“I don’t think of it as a lost cause,” Harden-Hall said. “I think it’s competitive and we will win it.”
The sun was blazing and the heat index nearly 100 degrees as Barbie and Ryan Hall were unloading a golf cart from the back of a truck in the Barnes & Noble parking lot.
They were in The Villages recently for a Kamala Harris rally. They brought the golf cart from their Mount Dora home.
“We’re always busy,” Ryan said, while putting a blue sign on the golf cart. He wore a blue and white Gators’ sport shirt, and like everyone in the parking lot, was sweating.
“It’s not easy; we spend a lot of time preparing for events like this,” Ryan said. “It’s hard work.” He also helps take care of their three kids: Eisley, 8, Reese, 7 and Brady, 3.
“I couldn’t do this without Ryan’s help,” Harden-Hall said, brushing back her shoulder length brown hair and soaking up the sunshine in a dark blue vest, and white slacks. She has an innate enthusiasm, and soothingly confident personality. You get the sense she is a true believer in her political cause.
“Campaigning is very draining; but I love doing this,” she said.
Barbie Harden-Hall was raised in a staunch, conservative Republican family. She attended Mount Dora Christian Academy. The school has long been part of her family. Her grandfather was an early supporter of the school, and her father and uncle also were part of the school.
The family was “shocked” when she became a Democrat after the birth of her first child.
“Like a lot of people, I grew up in Lake County in a Republican family,” she said. “Now I’m a Democrat — the black sheep of the family. When we get together and talk politics, I keep my mouth shut.”
“When my first child was born, I grew up,” she said of her Democratic transformation. Then, after the medical bills with Everett, she became more political.
“I saw what can happen to a family, when you get overwhelmed with medical and doctor bills,” she said. She worked as a paralegal, and with her husband operates Hall Outdoor Services.
“It’s not enough to have one job, you have to have two,” she said. “It was hard for us, and it’s hard for any family. The Democratic Party cares about families.”
Some conservative critics might call her views extreme.
“To me, it’s not extreme for a woman to make her own, health-care decisions,” Harden-Hall said. “I tell people, if you don’t believe in having an abortion, then don’t have an abortion.
“But if I’m in a scenario where my life is at risk, I want to be able to make that decision. I want to live and be here as a mother to raise my children.”
She adds it’s not an extreme idea to stop “easy access” to assault weapons.
“And it’s not an extreme idea that everyone should have access to affordable health care. And when we retire, it’s not an extreme idea that we get the Social Security and Medicare benefits we paid for when we were working. And it’s not extreme for billionaires to pay their fair share of taxes.”
Homeowners insurance is another cause. She said her house is barely two years old, “yet our home insurance quadrupled this year, and that doubled our mortgage payment.
“We can do more at the state level, but the federal government needs to help. FEMA spends billions of dollars after a major storm or hurricane.
“We can spend that money to help insurance costs and do something before a disaster. These costs are skyrocketing due to climate change. I’ve lived in Florida all my life, and I don’t remember this many storms and floods.”
The new-found public life is a challenge for Harden-Hall.
“I was never really comfortable speaking in front of people. I’m not really a social person, who does videos and pictures and things like that.
“But I’ve changed. Now, I enjoy meeting people and talking to them. I’m not just doing this for myself. I think of my son everyday since he’s gone. I’m here to help every family facing hard times, and I’m here for all the right reasons. That’s what keeps me going.”
Politics can be a cruel game and she is a decided underdog.
“It’s not just about money and polling,” Harden-Hall said. “Things are not always what they seem. People aren’t going to vote for someone just because he has a party letter before his name on the ballot. I believe there are moderate Republicans and independents who will vote for me. I hear from them all the time.”
And if she should lose?
“I won’t be heartbroken,” Harden-Hall said. “It won’t be the end of me in politics. For me, this is only the first step.”
