On Wednesday February 10, 2010, the College Democrats hosted a Day of Action for State House candidates Leo Cruz and Amy Mercado. We were joined by Leo and Amy Mercado’s mother, Carmen Torres in front of the Student Union for several hours of petitioning and fun. Our goal was to collect petitions to get Amy Mercado and Leo Cruz onto the ballot. We also raised awareness about State House races that directly affect UCF students. We engaged students using love-themed music and two valentine-themed "ballot boxes" to collect the petitions; the boxes were then presented to the candidates at our weekly meeting.

Amy Mercado is running for Florida House District 35 which includes most of the housing developments in the UCF area. This means that a majority of the students who live both on and off-campus fall within the boundaries of her district. She is running against incumbent Dean Cannon, the House Speaker-designate. When asked why she is running in such a challenging race, Amy replied, "I have had enough of the 'status quo' and 'culture of corruption' in Tallahassee! We have serious problems to deal with – and we need innovative leaders who can develop new ways to solve these challenges."

Leo Cruz is another long-time friend of the club and is running for the State House District 33 which covers the rest of student housing around UCF. Leo Cruz’s campaign has thus far collected more money than any other candidate running for the District 33 in the past 8 years. According to Leo, his mission in Florida’s House of Representatives will be to fight to bring high-tech, good paying jobs for our future in Central Florida, improve our education system, and bring balance to Tallahassee.