Republican Erika Booth and Democrat Tom Keen to Face Off for Florida House District 35
The election was called following the resignation of State Representative Fred Hawkins (R).
The Democratic and Republican primaries occurred yesterday to select candidates for the January special election to fill a vacancy in the Florida House of Representatives. A candidate only needs to achieve a plurality of the vote to receive their party’s nomination.
The special election for Florida State House District 35 was called following the resignation of State Representative Fred Hawkins, a Republican, to become President of South Florida State College. He represented this district from November 2020 to June 2023.
In the Republican primary, Erika Booth has been declared the winner. The race was called in her favor as she’s currently leading with 49.49% against Scotty Moore with 33.68% and Kenneth Davenport with 16.84%. 7,311 votes have been counted.
Booth has represented Seat 5 on the Osceola County School Board since November 2022.
Moore was the Republican nominee for Florida’s 9th Congressional District in 2022 - losing 53.64-46.36 to Democratic incumbent Darren Soto.
Davenport challenged Hawkins for the Republican nomination for District 35 in 2022 - losing 52.2-32.7 to the incumbent, with 15.1% going to Dianna Liebnitzky.
In the Democratic primary, Tom Keen has been declared the winner. The race was called in his favor as he’s currently leading with 36.07% against Rishi Bagga with 33.27% and Marucci Guzmán with 30.66%. 6,366 votes have been counted.
Keen sought the Democratic nomination for District 35 in 2022 - coming up short in the primary 38.7-38.1 to Bagga, a margin of just 57 votes!
Bagga was the Democratic nominee for District 35 in 2022 - losing 55.4-44.6 in the general election to Hawkins.
Guzmán has served as the Executive Director of Latino Leadership in Orlando since 1999.
Florida State House District 35 covers parts of Orange and Osceola Counties.
The special election for this seat in the Florida House of Representatives will occur on January 16, 2024. Republicans currently control the 120-member chamber with a 83-35 supermajority against Democrats. District 35 is one of two current vacancies, with the other being filled through a special election this December.