While local news is screaming about Bill Nelson and Rick Scott’s Senate race, and TV advertisements seem to be pushing approximately a billion candidates for governor, it’s easy to start thinking that those are the only two races occurring in the whole state this fall. In any hot election cycle, smaller races can be easily overlooked, so we’ve put together a list of six important local primary races occurring in Pinellas and Hillsborough on August 28.
As a reminder, the deadline for primary voter registration in both counties is July 30th, so if you haven’t already, make sure you sign up if you plan on voting next month — and select a party affiliation if you want to vote in the Democratic and Republican primaries because, well, closed primaries.
Pinellas County Commission — District 6
The vacuum left by the vacancy of four-term incumbent John Morroni, first by his announcement in March 2017 that he would not seek a fifth term, and more recently by his passing last May, coupled with the lack of competitive races for the six other positions on the board, guaranteed that this would be a heavily contested battle. The district includes most of Seminole and Pinellas Park, along with areas around Gandy and every beach from Redington to Tierra Verde, so candidates have a lot of ground to cover and a diverse batch of bases to appeal to.
The Democratic primary is almost guaranteed to go to former USFSP professor and environmental activist Amy Kedron, whom CL interviewed back in May.
The Republican primary, however, is looking quite competitive, with three major candidates emerging. After disagreements with Florida Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran limited her power in Tallahassee, District 69 representative Kathleen Peters set her sights on the Commissioner’s chair last year, giving her a head start in fundraising that’s allowed her to collect over $130,000.
Also from Tallahassee is District 66 representative Larry Ahern, who has gathered over $57,000 in fundraising. Both Ahern and Peters share basic economic policies — lower taxes, fewer regulations, etc. — so the major difference between their respective campaign strategies seems to be Peters’ focus on her history in the legislature, fighting for mental health reform and environmental issues, while Ahern’s approach is more values-based, touting his pro-life and pro-gun stances to appeal to voters.
Meanwhile, local insurance executive Barbara Haselden has also thrown her hat in, raising over $48,000. Haselden’s main claim to political fame is her heading of the “No Tax for Tracks” campaign, which in 2014 helped to shut down the proposed Greenlight Pinellas plan, which would have implemented a tax increase to support expanding public transit in Pinellas County. She has never held public office before, but in Trump-supporting areas, being a political outsider with strong Tea Party leanings may give her the boost she needs in this primary.
State House — District 66
As Larry Ahern pursues a County Commission seat, his district, which stretches from Clearwater to Bay Pines, has been left with a vacant seat in Tallahassee. With the district’s historically strong Republican leaning, the primary next month may be a more competitive race than the general election in November. The two major Republican candidates, Berny Jacques and Nick DiCeglie, have similar platforms, so each seems to be racing to win the support of the Trumpian voters to gain the edge over the other.
Jacques has never held elected public office before, a fact that may help him court Trump voters looking for an “outsider,” but may lose him points with more moderate candidates, although his history as leader of Pinellas County Young Republicans may negate this. Meanwhile, DiCeglie has an extensive career in politics, from serving two terms as chairman of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, to his current position as chairman of the Pinellas County Republican Party, a history that may make his promise to “drain the swamp” in Tallahassee a hard sell during this primary.
Both candidates have done well for themselves regarding fundraising, with Jacques collecting over $133,000 and DiCeglie raising a close $128,000 according to recent estimates.
State House — District 70
The only race on this list not involving a vacancy. In District 70, November is just another month on the calendar, and August is the real election time, as the area leans so strongly Democrat that running as a Republican here is essentially a moot point. In November 2016, Wengay Newton won the seat with a staggering 76% of the vote, and now he’s trying to retain his seat in this year’s primary against two other challengers.
The first, Vito Sheeley, has served as a political activist and aide to several campaigns, including runs by Charlie Crist and Kathy Castor, and this represents his first attempt at running for public office himself. Backing him, however, are a strong coalition of local politicians: St. Pete mayor Rick Kriseman, Pinellas County Commission Chair Ken Welch, City Council Chair Lisa Wheeler-Bowman, and Pinellas County School Board Chair Rene Flowers, all of whom were staunch supporters of Kriseman during last year’s incredibly close mayoral race. Kriseman and Newton haven’t been the best of friends historically, with Kriseman supporting Newt’s opponent Dan Fiorini in the 2016 primary, and Newt supporting Republican Rick Baker over Kriseman for mayor last year. Whether or not this coalition will affect the minds of voters outside of Pinellas County, or within it, for that matter, is yet to be seen.
Also in the race is Keisha Bell, local attorney and member of the St. Pete City Chamber, whose platform focuses heavily on education and affordable healthcare, as opposed to the criminal justice and housing-focused campaigns of Newton and Sheeley. So far, Newton leads the fundraising race with approximately $40,000, while Sheeley and Bell have raised $15,000 and $12,000 respectively, according to the latest reports.
State House — District 61
Switching over to Hillsborough, Tampa’s District 61 is looking at another hotly contested primary, as current representative Sean Shaw, who won by a mere 101 votes in 2016, has thrown his hat in the ring for Attorney General. Like District 70, 61 is another place where the Democratic primary largely determines the eventual representative, and November is an afterthought. Two leaders have emerged in the current race: Dianne Hart, the CEO of East Tampa Business and Civic Association and founder of Ms. Dee’s World of Beauty Salon, who came in second in the primary against Shaw in 2016, and Karen Skyers, a local legislative aide and lobbyist.
Currently, Hart, running on a platform promoting vocational training and restoring voting rights to felons, is lagging behind on fundraising with just over $40,000, as Skyers, focusing more on mental health, addiction, and affordable healthcare, leads with around $56,000. Still, Hart has more of an established base in the district due to her success in 2016, so either could take it next month.
State House — District 62
Another vacancy in Hillsborough, this time caused by the district’s current representative, Janet Cruz, running for State Senate District 18, has led to a three-way primary in the county’s only majority-Hispanic district. At first glance, the leading contender would be Mike Alvarez, Secretary of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party’s Hispanic Caucus, who has been fundraising since May 2017, and is far and away the leader in contributions, with $54,000.
However, on June 8 of this year, he suddenly found himself facing stiff competition when Susan Valdes of the Hillsborough County School Board resigned her post in order to join the race. Valdes has served on the board since 2004, and therefore has had enough time in the public eye for voters to become familiar with her, but she still lags far behind in fundraising, with approximately $6,000.
Also in the race is local medical marijuana activist Chris Cano, whose leftist platform — including increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour, free college tuition, and decriminalization of marijuana — will likely help him win over Berniecrats. He may also be held back by low funds (he has currently only raised $3,000) and a nearly decade-old statement that marriage should remain between a man and a woman.
State House — District 59
For our last entry, we return to a Republican primary, where former state Senator Ronda Storms is trying to make her comeback by beating the previous shoo-in for the seat, local veteran and businessman Joe Wicker. Ross Spano, the current District 59 representative who is leaving the seat to run for Attorney General, had already endorsed Wicker, who ran against him in 2012, by the time Storms announced her bid for the seat back in March.
Storms has a history of controversy, such as anti-LGBT policies she enacted while county commisioner, but her outspoken, hard-line populist conservatism may be just what Trump supporters want. Wicker still leads in the fundraising race, having gathered $55,000 since beginning his campaign in November 2017, while Storms trails behind with $14,000.
This article appears in Jul 19-26, 2018.