Endorses 79 Candidates to Help Make Florida More Competitive
Tallahassee, Fla. (Sept. 22, 2016) – The Florida Chamber of Commerce today announced 79 candidate endorsements for the November 8th General Election.
“We believe these candidates will put Florida’s long-term future ahead of short-term fixes and will help ensure our state remains competitive,” said MARIAN JOHNSON, Senior Vice President of Political Operations for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “We are proud to support these candidates that we believe will help create jobs and economic opportunity in our state.”
After interviewing more than 200 candidates running in competitive House and Senate races, 76 of the 88 Florida Chamber-backed candidates were victorious during Florida’s primary election – winning outright or moving on to the General Election. Expanding on the Florida Chamber’s stepped-up political activity of engaging early and aggressively during the 2016 election cycle is today’s General Election endorsement of 79 candidates.
In addition to its significant digital advertising investments, television advertisements and mail-box mailers for candidates, the Florida Chamber’s 2016 Election Guide provides voters information on all races appearing on the November 8th ballot – from top of the ticket to the open U.S. Senate seat, 27 congressional races, all 40 senate and 120 house seats, as well as four proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the ballot. The 2016 Election Guide is part of the Florida Chamber’s larger GOTV efforts.
The Florida Chamber’s General Election endorsements include the following:
Florida Senate
- District 1: Representative Doug Broxson (R)
- District 3: Senator Bill Montford (D) – Incumbent
- District 7: Senator Travis Hutson (R) – Incumbent
- District 8: Representative Keith Perry (R)
- District 11: Representative Randolph Bracy (D)
- District 12: Representative Dennis Baxley (R)
- District 13: Dean Asher (R)
- District 14: Senator Dorothy Hukill (R) – Incumbent
- District 15: Peter Vivaldi (R)
- District 16: Senator Jack Latvala (R) – Incumbent
- District 17: Representative Debbie Mayfield (R)
- District 18: Representative Dana Young (R)
- District 22: Senator Kelli Stargel (R) – Incumbent
- District 24: Senator Jeff Brandes (R) – Incumbent
- District 25: Senator Joe Negron (R) – Incumbent
- District 27: Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R) – Incumbent
- District 28: Representative Kathleen Passidomo (R)
- District 30: Representative Bobby Powell (D)
- District 36: Senator Rene Garcia (R) – Incumbent
- District 39: Senator Anitere Flores (R) – Incumbent
Florida House of Representatives
- District 1: Representative Clay Ingram (R) – Incumbent
- District 2: Frank White (R)
- District 4: Mel Ponder (R)
- District 3: Jayer Williamson (R)
- District 5: Representative Brad Drake (R) – Incumbent
- District 6: Representative Jay Trumbull (R) – Incumbent
- District 10: Representative Elizabeth Porter (R) – Incumbent
- District 12: Clay Yarborough (R)
- District 15: Representative Jay Fant (R) – Incumbent
- District 16: Jason Fischer (R)
- District 18: Representative Travis Cummings (R) – Incumbent
- District 19: Bobby Payne (R)
- District 21: Chuck Clemons (R)
- District 23: Stanley McClain, Jr. (R)
- District 24: Representative Paul Renner (R) – Incumbent
- District 25: Tom Leek (R)
- District 27: Representative David Santiago (R) – Incumbent
- District 28: Representative Jason Brodeur (R) – Incumbent
- District 29: Representative Scott Plakon (R) – Incumbent
- District 30: Representative Robert Cortes (R) – Incumbent
- District 31: Representative Jennifer Sullivan (R) – Incumbent
- District 35: Representative Blaise Ingoglia (R) – Incumbent
- District 39: Representative Neil Combee (R) – Incumbent
- District 40: Representative Colleen Burton (R) – Incumbent
- District 41: Sam Killebrew (R)
- District 42: Representative Mike La Rosa (R) – Incumbent
- District 47: Representative Mike Miller (R) – Incumbent
- District 50: Representative Rene Plasencia (R) – Incumbent
- District 51: Representative Tom Goodson (R) – Incumbent
- District 53: Randy Fine (R)
- District 56: Representative Ben Albritton (R) – Incumbent
- District 58: Representative Dan Raulerson (R) – Incumbent
- District 59: Representative Ross Spano (R) – Incumbent
- District 65: Representative Chris Sprowls (R) – Incumbent
- District 66: Representative Larry Ahern (R) – Incumbent
- District 67: Representative Chris Latvala (R) – Incumbent
- District 68: Ben Diamond (D)
- District 69: Representative Kathleen Peters (R) – Incumbent
- District 70: Wengay Newton, Sr. (D)
- District 72: Alex Miller (R)
- District 73: Joe Gruters (R)
- District 74: Representative Julio Gonzalez (R) – Incumbent
- District 76: Representative Ray Rodrigues (R) – Incumbent
- District 79: Representative Matt Caldwell (R) – Incumbent
- District 80: Byron Donalds (R)
- District 82: Representative MaryLynn Magar (R) – Incumbent
- District 83: Representative Gayle Harrell (R) – Incumbent
- District 85: Rick Roth (R)
- District 93: Representative George Moraitis (R) – Incumbent
- District 103: Representative Manny Diaz (R) – Incumbent
- District 106: Robert Rommel (R)
- District 110: Representative Jose Oliva (R) – Incumbent
- District 111: Representative Bryan Avila (R) – Incumbent
- District 112: Nick Duran (D)
- District 114: John Couriel (R)
- District 115: Representative Michael Bileca (R) – Incumbent
- District 116: Representative Jose Diaz (R) – Incumbent
- District 118: David Rivera (R)
- District 119: Representative Jeanette Nunez (R) – Incumbent
- District 120: Representative Holly Raschein (R) – Incumbent
Congratulations to the following Florida Chamber-endorsed elected officials who have won their General Election already:
Florida Senate
- District 2: George Gainer (R)
- District 4: Senator Aaron Bean (R) – Incumbent
- District 9: Senator David Simmons (R) – Incumbent
- District 10: Senator Wilton Simpson (R) – Incumbent
- District 20: Senator Tom Lee (R) – Incumbent
- District 21: Senator Bill Galvano (R) – Incumbent
- District 26: Senator Denise Grimsley (R) – Incumbent
- District 29: Representative Kevin Rader (R)
Florida House
- District 3: Jayer Williamson (R)
- District 7: Representative Halsey Beshears (R) – Incumbent
- District 17: Representative Cyndi Stevenson (R) – Incumbent
- District 20: Representative Clovis Watson (D) – Incumbent
- District 22: Representative Charlie Stone (R) – Incumbent
- District 32: Representative Larry Metz (R) – Incumbent
- District 37: Representative Richard Corcoran (R) – Incumbent
- District 44: Representative Eric Eisnaugle (R) – Incumbent
- District 55: Representative Cary Pigman (R) – Incumbent
- District 57: Representative Jake Raburn (R) – Incumbent
- District 71: Representative Jim Boyd (R –Incumbent
- District 75: Michael Grant (R)
- District 81: Senator Joe Abruzzo (D)
- District 84: Representative Larry Lee, Jr. (D) – Incumbent
- District 87: David Silvers (D)
- District 88: Al Jacquet (D)
- District 89: Representative Bill Hager (R) – Incumbent
- District 98: Representative Katie Edwards (D) – Incumbent
For more information, visit the Florida Chamber’s election page at www.FloridaChamber.com/Election.