Nearly two years after Ron DeSantis suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren over a pledge to not prosecute gender-affirming care for transgender kids or abortion-related crimes, Hillsborough voters have chosen the governor’s hand-picked replacement for the 13th Judicial Circuit.

Early election results show that Republican Suzy Lopez received at 53% of the votes with 95% of the precincts reporting.

Warren was removed from office by DeSantis in 2022 for “neglect of duty” and “incompetence” after he signed pledges to not prosecute alleged crimes resulting from gender-affirming care and abortion access, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade.

In his suspension announcement, surrounded by supporters like Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and former Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, DeSantis appointed then-Judge Suzy Lopez as Warren’s replacement.

Warren then filed a federal lawsuit seeking reinstatement and alleged that the governor’s action was in violation of his First Amendment rights. However, last January a three-judge panel for the U.S. 11th District Circuit Court acknowledged Warren’s First Amendment rights were in fact violated, but also noted that this doesn’t completely protect Warren from the suspension.

Warren’s case for reinstatement remains stalled in the courts—although it’s unclear how tonight’s election result will affect the matter.

This is a developing story.

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This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2024.