Republican Scott Franklin wins US House District 15 race

Republican Scott Franklin has won Florida Rep. Ross Spano’s seat in the U.S. House.

Franklin defeated Democrat Alan Cohn in Tuesday’s election, ensuring that Spano’s seat stays in Republican hands. Franklin defeated Spano in the Republican primary.

Spano was dogged by ethics investigations over alleged campaign finance violations.

Franklin decided to challenge Spano in the August primary, fearing that the cloud over him might make the seat vulnerable.

[LIVE RACE RESULTS: Scroll to bottom of story to see all race returns]

Franklin is a Lakeland city commissioner, former Navy pilot and owns a small business. Cohn is a former television journalist.

The district runs from just east of Tampa to just west of Orlando.

RACE DETAILS BELOW

Two candidates are running for a chance to represent Florida’s 15th Congressional District, which covers the northern parts of Polk and Hillsborough counties and the southernmost part of Lake.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ross Spano has held the seat since Jan. 3, 2019, according to GovTrack.US and hoped to be reelected but was defeated in the primary election earlier this year by Republican Scott Franklin, who now faces Democrat Alan Cohn in the general election.

[2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of the presidential election]

Use the interactive map below to see if your neighborhood is included in District 15.

Here’s what you need to know about the candidates:

Scott Franklin (R)

Franklin served as a Naval Aviator in the U.S. Navy, where he spent 14 years on active duty and 12 years in the reserves. The Lakeland commissioner has operated a small business in the city for 20 years. He said he never voted for a tax increase while serving as a Lakeland commissioner. One of his priorities, if elected to office, is to fight socialism. He said a free market sparks innovation and economic growth. The Lakeland commissioner said he will fight for the Second Amendment. Franklin said he wants to see national security strengthened. He is also a supporter of President Donald Trump’s platform and wants to finish building the border wall.

Learn more about Franklin and his campaign here.

Alan Cohn (D)

Cohn is a Peabody Award-winning television investigative journalist and is making another run for the District 15 seat. He says his experience holding government officials accountable and uncovering corruption inspired him to run for Congress. Cohn says investigative journalism was his way to make a positive impact on society and hopes to use his experience to fight for policy changes that working people need. As part of his platform, Cohn describes health care as a human right hoping to bring more affordable care to Americans and hopes to create effective policies to curb the climate crisis. Naturally, he wants to make sure big corporations aren’t benefiting from those struggling to make ends meet, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. The father of two graduated from Hofstra University and currently lives in New Tampa.

To learn more about Cohn’s platform, click here.

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