Ryan Fernandez Michael

By Andrew Meacham

Ryan Fernandez was doing his best to get through his first semester at Florida International University, bagging groceries and aiming for law school. He did find the time one day to show up for a campaign event for Vance Aloupis, who had already practiced law before deciding his heart was in public policy.

Aloupis, a Miami-Dade Republican and a former Young Floridian of the Year, was running for a House seat in 2018, campaigning on free markets and good schools. Fernandez liked what he stood for and told him so.

“He said, ‘Come out and campaign’ and I said, ‘Sure,’” Fernandez recalled. They knocked on thousands of doors.

Then he tore his meniscus playing flag football, which ruled out all of the walking for a while. Aloupis had other ideas: He wanted Fernandez to serve as his Deputy Campaign Manager.

“I said, ‘Deputy Campaign Manager? I have no experience, know nothing about politics, and I’m a bagboy at Publix.’”

Aloupis stood his ground, hired the bagboy and won by 579 votes. The mood was high among his young staffers, including an Aloupis aide named Alexis Calatayud. Aloupis departed the House after two terms. But Calatayud is now a Senator, and Fernandez is a political consultant working for Alex Miranda, another key player in a tight- knit contingent of young Latino Republicans.

“What I always appre ciated about Ryan was that he was always eager to work,” Aloupis said. “Eager to learn. Always wanted to exceed expec tations. Those qualities are how he differentiated himself (on campaigns), and how he will differen tiate himself in life.”

Fernandez repeat ed as Deputy Campaign Manager for Aloupis in 2020, while also assuming the legislative aide spot va cated by Calatayud, who had become Policy and Programs Director for the state’s De partment of Education.

“We’ve been working really closely with each other the last five, six years, kind of rowing in the same direction,” Calatayud said. “So I’m just really proud of a great success.”

Fernandez grew up in Miami, the son of a 31-year law enforcement officer and a mental health professional. His campaigns tended to win by more comfortable margins than that 2018 nailbiter, but his own pace actually increased. At one point around 2020, he was working multiple campaigns, while participating in student govern- ment and taking six courses in order to graduate a semester early.

“I drank a lot of coffee,” he said.

Fernandez then completed Florida State University’s Masters of Applied American Politics & Policy program in 15 months. Some of his most enduring campaign lessons were also the first, from that initial 2018 stretch run.

“You build a compelling story and you knock on doors,” he said. “And try to connect with voters, whether they agree with you or not.”