ORLANDO, Fla. – Lake Nona businessman Tom Keen will face Osceola County School Board member Erika Booth in the special election for a Florida House seat after Democrats and Republicans voted in party primaries Tuesday.
Keen won the Democratic primary for Florida House District 35 and Booth won the Republican primary for the seat.
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Fred Hawkins, the Republican state representative for House District 35, left his seat earlier this year to become president of South Florida State College. That means voters will choose his replacement in special elections.
Since Florida is a closed primary state, only Democrats and Republicans who are in Florida House District 35 voted in those party primaries.
The district encompasses parts of east Orange and east Osceola counties.
In Orange County, Democrats chose Keen with 35.21% of the vote over Rishi Bagga with 34.89% and Marucci Guzman with 29.9%. Republicans chose Booth with 48.36% of the vote over Scotty Moore with 31.21% and Ken Davenport with 20.43% of the vote.
In Osceola County, Keen won with 38.98% of the vote in the Democratic primary, while Guzman got 33.01% and Bagga got 28.01% of the vote. Republicans meanwhile chose Booth with 52.29% of the vote, over Moore with 38.32% and Davenport with 9.4%.
Keen and Booth will face off in a special general election on Jan. 16, open to all voters.
Republicans
ERIKA BOOTH: Website | Facebook
Erika Booth is currently a member of the Osceola County School Board. She has a degree in elementary education and has worked in several schools. A native of Kissimmee, she is also married to Ricky Booth, a county commissioner.
Booth is a conservative who is vowing to fight the “woke agenda” as a supporter of the parental rights movement. She is also supportive of crackdowns on illegal immigration. She’s a supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Trump, according to her website. She’s collected endorsements from Florida’s Realtors and the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, among other groups.
KEN DAVENPORT: Website | Facebook
Ken Davenport is a flight attendant and real estate agent who said he got into the race as a concerned citizen. The Brevard County native also worked in law enforcement for a time. On his website, Davenport said he supports freedom of religion and medical freedom reform, Second Amendment rights and is anti-abortion. Davenport ran against Hawkins in the 2022 Republican primary for the district and came within less than 1,200 votes.
SCOTTY MOORE: Website | Facebook
Scotty Moore is a nonprofit consultant who worked with several groups, including Campus Crusade for Christ. In 2022 he won the Republican primary for U.S. House District 9 but lost to Democratic Rep. Darren Soto.
Moore’s website touts him as a defender of “conservative principles that honor God and Keep Florida Free.” He also supports the parental rights movement, does not support transgender rights, is pro-Second Amendment and is anti-abortion.
Democrats
RISHI BAGGA: Website | Facebook
Rishi Bagga is an attorney and former prosecutor whose family came to Orange County from Canada when he was a child. He now is vice president for Skyline Hotels, a hotel management company. Bagga ran against Hawkins in 2022 and lost.
Bagga said he supports more flexibility for local governments in spending tourist tax revenue, diversifying Florida’s economy with jobs from different industries, expanding Medicaid so that more people qualify for health insurance and is pro-choice. He wants more transparent policing policies, increases in access and funding for mental health and strengthening gun laws.
MARUCCI GUZMAN: Website | Facebook
Marucci Guzman is the executive director for Latino Leadership, a community organization in Central Florida that seeks to boost Hispanic residents through a variety of programs. Among the programs she established were a fully bilingual autism center, a Puerto Rico Family Response Center during Hurricane Maria and a behavioral health program for the Latino community.
On her website, Guzman’s top issues include making health care and insurance more affordable, fully funding education, strengthening gun laws and women’s reproductive rights.
Tom Keen is a Naval veteran and businessman living in the Lake Nona area. He ran for in the Democratic primary for Florida House District 35 in 2022 but lost to Rishi Bagga.
Keen said he wants to focus on committing more funding for affordable housing, fighting restrictions on books and other free speech, protecting Florida’s environment through smart growth laws and expanding access to abortion.
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