Here’s what happened in Tampa Bay primary races for Florida Legislature

TALLAHASSEE — A dozen incumbent Florida lawmakers appear poised to hold off challengers from their own parties on Tuesday night, putting them one step closer to returning to Tallahassee.

That includes two Tampa Bay legislators who won their primaries by a wide margin. Sen. Ed Hooper, who represents north Pinellas and south Pasco counties, and Rep. Brad Yeager, who represents part of Pasco, won their races against other Republicans and will go on to face Democratic opponents in November.

The candidates are vying to be part of Florida’s 160-seat Legislature, which is tasked with passing the annual multibillion-dollar state budget. There were 45 primary races on Tuesday for legislative races throughout the state. Most primaries were among Republicans.

This year, Florida Democrats put forward a candidate in every legislative race, the first time they have done so in nearly three decades. But it’s unlikely to make a serious dent in Florida Republicans’ stronghold over the Legislature.

Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers, have controlled Florida’s Legislature for the last 30 years and continue to gain an edge over Democrats in registered overs.

In many districts, Tuesday’s primary election results, and not the November general election, are the key indicator of who will end up in Tallahassee. For instance, Yeager’s district skews Republican, with former President Donald Trump winning 60% of the vote in the district in 2020.

A small number of the Republican primaries this cycle were proxy battles for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Trump. In at least two races — one in northeast Florida and one in Palm Beach County — the two men backed different GOP primary candidates. As of 8 p.m., DeSantis’ preferred candidate took the lead in the race for a Florida Senate seat, while Trump’s referred candidate took the lead in the race for a South Florida House seat.

Here’s what happened in Tampa Bay’s legislative primaries:

Senate District 21

Hooper, 77, who has twice been elected to the Florida Senate, defeated Republican challenger John Siamas, 44, an accountant and U.S. Navy veteran. Hooper won with 85% of the vote in the primary for this north Pinellas and south Pasco seat.

Siamas’ campaign centered on tackling corruption in homeowners associations, while Hooper focused on property and auto insurance.

Hooper will face Democrat Doris Carroll in November in hopes of winning a final term in the Senate.

House District 56

In the battle over the seat covering New Port Richey and other parts of west Pasco, Yeager, who was endorsed by DeSantis, got about 79% of the Republican primary vote in the race against Kirk Phillips, a U.S. Air Force veteran, as of 8:20 p.m.

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Phillips, 58, a first-time candidate for office, cited insurance reform and infrastructure resiliency as top issues. Yeager, 48, is seeking his second term in office and has focused on supporting law enforcement and keeping DeSantis’ agenda. He will face Democrat William “Willie” Pura in November.

House District 65

Ashley Brundage, 44, a business owner, defeated fellow Democrat Nathan Kuipers, a political organizer, on Tuesday in the primary for the seat covering south Tampa. Brundage hopes to flip a Republican seat by challenging Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, who was first elected to the House in 2022. If elected, Brundage would become the first transgender woman in the Legislature.

She defeated Kuipers, 36, with about 81% of the vote. Both candidates pushed back against the Legislature passing bills that target abortion access, LGBTQ+ communities and other minority groups.

House District 67

Ronrico “Rico” Smith, a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force Reserves officer, looked likely to defeat Republican Lisette Bonano and will likely face House Democratic leader Fentrice Driskell in the fall. Smith had the support of local Republican heavyweights like Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Gus Bilirakis, Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Smith led the race with about 57% of the vote as of 8 p.m. Smith said his campaign’s focus is on reducing the cost of living. Bonano said some of her key issues were the right to bear arms and freedom of religion.

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