Founder and Principal

Daniel Horton-Diaz

Former candidate, campaign manager, congressional district director and voting rights director, based in Georgia. Daniel founded Blue South Strategies in 2019 to manage races for candidates who hate to lose.

Experience

2026

Campaign Manager, Tony Kozycki for Congress (GA-7)Took over 45 days before the primary for a first-time candidate with no political background. Won the four-way primary with 40% and the runoff with 70%, leading the field in fundraising, endorsements and outreach.

2019 to now

Founder and General Consultant, Blue South StrategiesStrategy, budgets, targeting and field for congressional, statewide and local campaigns.

2018 to 2019

District Director, U.S. House of RepresentativesLed 6 staff and 10+ interns across 3 offices serving more than 788,000 constituents in Florida's 26th District.

2018

State Director, All Voting is Local (Florida)Directed a statewide voting rights program for the Leadership Conference Education Fund, with a $100,000+ budget and campus organizers at five universities.

2017 to 2018

Legislative Aide, Florida SenateCoordinated 17 bills before 9 committees during the 2018 session.

2016 and 2020

Candidate, Florida House and Florida SenateWon the 2016 Democratic primary for House District 120, then earned more than 29,000 votes in the general. Ran for Senate District 39 in 2020.

Education and law

Juris Doctor, Florida International University College of Law, 2015, where he was president of the Student Bar Association. Bachelor of Arts in English, Kennesaw State University, 2009. Member of the Florida Bar (inactive). Blue South Strategies does not provide legal services.

Why I do this

I've sat in every seat a campaign has: candidate, staffer, manager and consultant. Too many good Democrats lose because nobody around them has done the whole job before. Blue South exists so candidates who are willing to work for it get someone in their corner who has, and who hates to lose as much as they do.

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