Incumbent Rep. Bill Posey wins Republican primary for US House District 8

Incumbent Rep. Bill Posey was declared the winner of Tuesday’s primary with 62% of the vote.

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EARLIER STORY

Two Republican candidates will face off in Florida’s primary election to determine who will run against Democrat Jim Kennedy in November to serve as the U.S. House District 8 Congress member.

District 8 includes Brevard and Indian River counties, as well as parts of eastern Orange County. The area includes a population of nearly 700,000 people, according to the last U.S. Census, and includes the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as well as Patrick Air Force Base.

[2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of Florida’s primary election]

For the most part, the district has been represented by a Republican. Former Rep. Alan Grayson was the last Democrat to represent the area from 2008-2010.

Incumbent Bill Posey and retired U.S. Air Force Col. Scott Caine are the two Republican candidates on the August primary ballot. Whoever wins the primary will be on the November ballot running against the lone Democrat running for the seat, Jim Kennedy.

Learn more about both candidates below:

Rep. Bill Posey

Posey is running for his fifth term in office. The Florida native grew up in Brevard County and attended Cocoa Beach High School. Posey graduated from Brevard Community College and worked at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center until the end of the Apollo program. After working in the space program, Posey started a real estate company. Prior to being elected to the U.S. House, Posey served on the Rockledge City Council and then in both the Florida House and Senate. As Congressman, Posey served on the Committee on Financial Services and Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The Rockledge resident has been an advocate for greater accountability in government, according to his websites. His key issues include space policy, protecting the Indian River Lagoon, border security and health care reform. According to his voting record, Posey votes with the Republican Party on most bills, 91.8% of the time, according to GovTrack.us.

Read more about Posey and his stance on certain issues at posey.house.gov.

Col. Scott Caine

Caine is a former fighter pilot who retired after 30 years in the military, finishing his career as vice commander of the 9th Air Force, overseeing 29,000 Airmen. Caine joined the U.S. Air Force in 1987 after graduating from Georgia Tech with a degree in electrical engineering. His military career included deployments and posting to Korea, Germany, Italy and the Middle East. Caine lives with his wife in Indian River County where he volunteers with his church and teaches a weekly Sunday School class. Caine was an advocate for the creation of the U.S. Space Force and says it is necessary to confronting threats from China and Russia, according to his website. His other campaign issues include “confronting China and the Communist Party” and not taking a back seat to the global competitor and reducing debt for American taxpayers. According to his website, Caine is an advocate for less government programs and regulations as well as lowering taxes. He wants families and individuals “to solve their own problems” without the government.

Read more about Caine and his stance on certain issues at caineforcongress.com.

Florida’s primary is Aug. 18.

You can learn more about the primary and what races you can expect to see on your ballot with ClickOrlando.com’s complete 2020 voter guide.

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