MEET SAMUEL

Rooted in This Community.
Ready to Fight for It in Tallahassee.

Male graduate in cap and gown speaking at a podium during a graduation ceremony, with a decorated outdoor background and a logo on the podium.

A Second Chance at Freedom

Samuel Vilchez Santiago grew up in Azalea Park after arriving in Orlando as a young political asylee fleeing Venezuela’s authoritarian regime. He came not knowing any English, struggled through his first days in school, and five years later graduated as Valedictorian of Colonial High School. He became the first in his family to attend college in the United States at Princeton University, later completing a Master in Public Policy Degree at the University of Oxford U.K.

Three men in suits holding a street sign that reads 'Roberto Clemente Rd' at an outdoor event during the day, with stop sign and street signs visible in the background under a blue sky.

A Calling to Serve

As a teenager, Samuel organized voter registration drives that signed up 500 of his classmates at Colonial, volunteered at citizenship clinics, and created a series of presentations to help hundreds of students apply to college. In college, he co-led the efforts to rename Stonewall Jackson Middle School to Roberto Clemente, removing one of the last Confederate markers in the district. At Princeton University, he became a leading voice for student equity, earning the Priscilla Glickman ’92 Memorial Prize and the Spirit of Princeton Awards for service and impact.

A group of people protesting outdoors, holding signs and shouting. One sign reads 'NRA' with red handprints. Some are wearing blue shirts that say 'March For Our Lives'. There are tall buildings and palm trees in the background on a sunny day.

Building Power and Transforming Local Democracy

In 2023, Samuel was elected as Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, becoming the youngest and only Hispanic local Democratic Party chair in Florida. Under his leadership, the party tripled its membership, trained more than 2,000 volunteers, knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors, and flipped seven Republican-held seats blue. By building a year-round, community-rooted organizing model, Samuel has transformed the local party into one of the strongest and most dynamic in the state, proving that when people are organized, resourced, and empowered, they can win anywhere.

A diverse group of people participating in a pride parade on a city street, holding a large banner for the Orange County Democratic Party with various logos, some holding signs with messages like 'Stop ICE' and 'We Are the Path Forward,' and some waving rainbow flags.

For more than a decade, Samuel has been one of Central Florida’s most effective young organizers, leading efforts that have strengthened democracy and empowered working families across the region. He managed Johanna López’s historic election as the first Latina on the Orange County School Board, served as Communications Director for Orlando’s March for Our Lives, and led statewide voting-rights efforts as Florida Campaign Manager at All Voting Is Local during the 2020 election. He also served as a Hispanic media surrogate for the Biden–Harris campaign and later as National Co-Chair of Venezuelans with Harris, helping combat misinformation and mobilize immigrant voters nationwide.

Man speaking at a podium during a public hearing in a government setting, with a digital clock and a plant nearby.

A Proven and Effective Public Servant

Professionally, Samuel has spent his career building power for working families and immigrant communities as a nonprofit leader. He led statewide voting-rights efforts as the Florida Campaign Manager at All Voting Is Local during the 2020 election, expanding language access, improving ballot curing, and helping thousands of voters navigate rapidly changing rules. As Florida State Director for the American Business Immigration Coalition, he advised the Biden-Harris administration to secure TPS designation and redesignation for more than 1 million people, supported the creation of the CHNV Humanitarian Parole Program benefiting over a million families, and built broad multiracial coalitions defending immigrant communities statewide. Today, as a Senior Nonprofit Manager at ActBlue, he helps thousands of nonprofits and grassroots movements across the country build people-powered fundraising programs that shift political influence away from corporations and toward communities. He has served on the boards of the HOPE CommUnity Center, Alianza Center, and the Venezuelan American Caucus, continuing his long-standing commitment to our families and community.

Group of nine diverse people standing in a meeting room holding a small flag with a coat of arms and red, blue, and yellow stripes, with an American flag and framed photographs in the background.

Samuel became the youngest member ever appointed to the Orange County Charter Review Commission, where he championed major reforms to strengthen local democracy and protect the environment, including enshrining the right to clean water in the county charter, safeguarding Split Oak Forest, and expanding access to citizen-led ballot initiatives. He now serves on the Orange County Membership Review Board, working to diversify county boards overseeing housing affordability, disability rights, and elder services so they finally reflect the communities they serve.

A man in a dark suit and a woman in a dress embrace in a hug, while a young man in a black suit looks on in a crowded indoor setting.

Recognized for Leadership and Impact

Samuel’s work has been widely recognized at the local, state, and national levels. He is a recipient of the President Obama Volunteer Service Award, the Congressional Youth Award, Princeton University’s Priscilla Glickman ’92 Memorial Prize, the Eisenhower Fellowship, and Heart of Florida United Way’s Emerging Leaders Impact Award. His contributions to immigrant rights, voting rights, and community empowerment have also been formally honored in the Congressional Record by Congressman Darren Soto.

Why He’s Running

A group of people at a political rally with signs reading 'Healthcare Over Billionaires,' gathered in a room with a government emblem on the wall. A man in a brown jacket speaking at a podium, with a woman in a purple shirt holding a water bottle nearby.

Samuel is running to represent District 43 in the Florida House of Representatives because this district is his home, the place that opened every door that changed his life. He wants to ensure that every kid and family in our community has access to the same opportunities he had to get ahead. 

He’s running to:

  • Shift power back to workers and families, not corporations

  • Make housing affordable and expand healthcare access

  • Strengthen public schools and expand dual enrollment and technical college program

  • Protect immigrant families from the constant fear and persecution

  • Defend reproductive freedom, LGBTQ rights, and civil liberties

Samuel knows what it’s like to grow up in this community, struggle, and fight for every opportunity. And he’s spent more than a decade fighting for the very issues he will champion in Tallahassee.

“I’m running because this community deserves someone who knows what it’s like to grow up here and who’s already been fighting for it.”

A man in a brown suit jacket and white shirt standing outdoors with trees and greenery in the background.

A Story Bigger Than One Person

Samuel’s journey, from an asylee who arrived not speaking English to a Princeton and Oxford honors graduate, nonprofit leader, and Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, is a testament to what is possible when a community opens its doors and invests in its people. His story is a living demonstration of the American Dream. 

Now, he’s ready to fight to give that same opportunity to every family in HD-43.

*titles and organization names provided for biographical purposes only

A young man in a black suit, pink shirt, and pink polka dot tie is standing at a podium with the Princeton University emblem, speaking into a microphone. Behind him, there are flags including a Panamanian flag and a large banner that reads 'PRINCETON
A group of people on stage at an Orange County Democratic Party event, with one person holding an award and speaking into a microphone, surrounded by supporters clapping and smiling.
Group of eight people standing in a room, holding a flag of El Salvador. The group includes a mix of men and women of diverse ages and ethnicities, smiling at the camera. Behind them is an American flag and a wall decorated with framed photographs.
A group of people at a political rally, many wearing blue shirts with 'TEAM CARLOS' and 'CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH' on them. A young man is speaking into a microphone at a podium with the same campaign signage. The speaker and audience members appear en
A male graduate in a black cap and gown stands at a podium, speaking into a microphone during a graduation ceremony. Behind him are students and a banner with a crest and the word 'Colonia'. The background has greenery and string lights.
Two people smiling and holding signs promoting gun laws. The woman on the left holds a sign in Spanish that reads 'Las leyes de armas salvan vidas.' The man on the right holds a sign in English that reads 'Gun laws save lives.' Both are inside a buil
A group of diverse people at a political rally supporting Harris for President, with signs and a man speaking at a podium in front of a Brotherhood of Electrical Workers emblem.
Group of five people celebrating a graduation outdoors in front of a historic building with a tower, smiling for the photo. The young man in the center is wearing a cap and gown.
People at a crowded outdoor event, some wearing Venezuelan flag-themed clothing and accessories, holding a long printed paper, with one smiling person in the foreground.

DONATE

We’re building a grassroots movement in our community. Every dollar helps us reach more voters and bring real representation to Tallahassee.

$50
$100
$250
$500
$1,000
CUSTOM

Make checks payable to "Samuel for Florida" P.O. Box 720533 Orlando, FL 32872