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Florida's Latest News5 Tampa Bay congressional races are set. Here’s who’s running.Voters didn’t make many shocking picks in Tuesday’s primary when deciding who will appear on the November ballot for Florida’s congressional races. Around Tampa Bay, Republican incumbents summarily dispatched long shot opponents from their own party. Across the board, those who raised the most money or secured key endorsements became the nominees for their party. Here’s a breakdown of what went down Tuesday in Tampa Bay-based districts. Congressional District 12 Longtime Republican incumbent Gus Bilirakis, 61, faced a Republican challenger for his deep-red seat that encompasses Citrus, Hernando and parts of Pasco counties. New Port Richey resident and former National Guard member Hank Dunlap, 52, made his first run for office against Bilirakis. Florida Republicans had their favorite in this legislative primary. Then Trump got involved.Republicans who control the Florida state Senate are in an uncomfortable spot: On the wrong side of Donald Trump. In the Republican-leaning megastate, one of the most intense elections ahead of Tuesday’s primaries has been the battle for a coastal northeast Florida state Senate district. The race is pitting Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Tallahassee power brokers against an unlikely alliance of foes that includes the Republican presidential nominee, trial lawyers and the colorful Democratic donor John Morgan. The race in District 7 has been one of the most expensive primaries in the state this year, outstripping congressional contests. It sees state Rep. Tom Leek, an attorney who rose to the powerful spot of House budget chair, against a former St. Johns County sheriff who jumped into the race just a few months ago. Leek, who endorsed DeSantis for his presidential run, was tapped as the favorite by state Senate leaders and won endorsements from a long line of Florida Republicans — including the governor and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. DeSantis takeover of Florida school boards has big setbackGov. Ron DeSantis’ attempt to elect conservative-leaning school board members across Florida hit a snag Tuesday, as candidates backed by the Republican governor fell in several key races. DeSantis, who has made reshaping Florida’s education system a top priority, endorsed 23 candidates ahead of Tuesday’s election. And as of late Tuesday night, at least 11 appear to have lost. That is a notable downturn from 2022, when DeSantis saw a runaway success: Of the 30 he endorsed two years ago, just five lost. Candidates endorsed by DeSantis won six races, according to unofficial county election results, with another six heading to runoffs in November. Although Florida’s school board elections are nonpartisan, candidates in some high-profile races had dueling endorsements and donations from conservatives like DeSantis and the parents’ group Moms for Liberty, and state Democrats and the Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union. Ex-Senate President Haridopolos, attorney Kennedy win congressional primaries, face off nextThe field is set for the congressional general election in Florida's 8th District. Former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos won the Republican primary and attorney Sandy Kennedy won the Democratic primary on Tuesday — both by large margins. They will square off in the Nov. 5 general election. House District 8 includes all of Brevard and Indian River counties, plus part of eastern Orange County. The seat currently is held by Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, who is not seeking reelection for a ninth term in Congress. The position has a two-year term, and an annual salary of $174,000. Republican primary Haridopolos easily won a three-candidate Republican primary. Haridopolos had 72.12% of the total of the vote. |
