State Representative District 57: Scott “Mr. H” Hottenstein
Although lacking the political experience of his Republican opponent, incumbent Mike Beltran, Scott “Mr. H” Hottenstein—a middle school civics teacher and U.S. Navy veteran—offers authenticity with his drive to uplift all residents of his district, across the socioeconomic spectrum. As someone who doesn’t identify as a career politician, he prides himself on having the integrity to not be swayed by special interests. If elected, he plans to fight for Medicaid expansion, greater funding for public education, common-sense gun safety, and smart growth initiatives that will boost job creation and stimulate the economy. We recommend side-stepping the conservative agenda of Beltran and voting Scott Hottenstein for Florida House District 57.
State Representative District 58: Cleo L. “CL” Townsend Jr.
Democratic candidate CL Townsend Jr. for State Representative is a public health administrator, retired pharmacist, and former member of the U.S. Peace Corps who is running for office to address pressing needs of the district. This includes fixing Florida’s broken unemployment system, and ensuring unemployed workers are economically supported in the meantime; supporting workers’ rights and protections; addressing the climate crisis; and expanding access to affordable healthcare. Unlike his opponent, conservative businessman Lawrence McClure (R), whose campaign has largely been funded by PACS and special interest groups, Townsend vows to be an advocate for the needs of working families in his district—and if you follow the money, you can gather that Townsend’s policy decisions are less likely to be guided by corporate interests over those of his prospective constituents. McClure’s stark conservative agenda—anti-abortion, pro-charters, and anti-DACA—is off-putting, and can’t be ignored during an endorsements process. We recommend voting for CL Townsend for State Representative HD 58.
State Representative District 59: Andrew Learned
Democratic candidate Andrew Learned, a U.S. Navy veteran and owner of a small tutoring company, offers a people-centered platform seamlessly adapted to address the most crucial needs of his district in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic—namely, advocating for a robust economic recovery plan, expanding healthcare coverage for uninsured and low-income residents, and raising Florida’s minimum wage. Learned has been critical of his opponent, Republican Michael Owen, for being heavily-funded by for-profit interests and offering a generic Republican agenda. As a former Republican, Learned adamantly opposes the corruptive influence of right-wing propaganda, and feels comfortable taking in the concerns of constituents across party lines to guide his representation of District 59 in the Florida House. We recommend voting for Democrat Andrew Learned for House District 59.
State Representative District 60: Julie Jenkins
Democrat Julie Jenkins for Florida’s House District 60 is a small business owner and marketing professional running to put people over politics by improving the support system for local small businesses, expanding healthcare, fixing Florida’s broken unemployment system, and funding our public education system. Her opponent, Republican incumbent Jackie Toledo has used derogatory language to describe undocumented immigrants, has sponsored legislation to provide annual funding for anti-abortion pregnancy centers, and has a history of being down to defund public schools in favor of charters. Jenkins’ leadership skills and dedication to community advocacy make her a good candidate to fight for the interests of her prospective constituency—Democrat, Republican, and Independents alike—through a common-sense approach up in Tallahassee. We recommend voting Julie Jenkins for State House District 60.
State Representative District 62: Susan Valdes
Rep. Susan Valdes, a former Hillsborough County School Board member, faces NPA candidate, Laurie-Rodriguez Person—a well-regarded teacher who told the Tampa Bay Times last year she planned to file against Valdes in the Democratic primary—and pro-life Republican Angel Urbina in her bid for a second term. Valdes’ record in elected office and her conduct have, on multiple occasions, been the subject of controversy. To her credit, she’s been a vocal critic against arming teachers, voted against legislation to prohibit sanctuary city laws, and came out in opposition to the Florida parent-consent abortion bill passed earlier this year. With reservations, we recommend reelecting Susan Valdes for State Representative.
State Representative District 64: Jessica Harrington
Jessica Harrington is a progresive Democrat making her second bid for Florida’s House District 64, after getting 45% of the vote in her run against union-busting Republican James Grant in 2018. In August, Grant abandoned his reelection campaign to take a job as Chief Financial Officer in August, and has since been replaced by Republican lawyer Traci Koster. Harrington, who prides herself as a candidate for all members of her District—regardless of party affiliation— is running on an ambitious and people-centered platform that centers the needs of working families, environmental conservation, and the (somehow) controversial idea that healthcare is a human right. We recommend voting for Jessica Harrington for House District 64.
District 65: Kelly Johnson
In a state controlled by Republicans, Chris Sprowls could end up being one of the most powerful should he win this race (politicos agree he’s in line to be the next House speaker). The Palm Harbor resident’s supporters think he’ll be able to balance the state budget, but his opponent—lifelong Pinellas resident Kelly Johnson—has prioritized protecting and expanding healthcare options for the most vulnerable Floridians. That, combined with her support of climate change initiatives and the fact that the State House needs balance, make her our choice.
District 66: Patricia Plantamura
Patricia Plantamura’s time in politics has not been without friction; in 2014 her fellow Seminole City Councilmembers censured Plantamura, who has a Master’s in Political Science from USF, for disruptive behavior. And while her bid against incumbent, businessman Nick DiCeglie, is a longshot, DiCeglie’s previous support of the GOP-led effort to force felons to pay fines, fees and restitution before being allowed to vote makes him a definite “nah” for us.
District 67: Dawn Douglas
Not gonna lie, if you were gonna vote for a Republican in this election, we’d say Chris Latvala is the best reason to do so. His opponent, Democrat Dawn Douglas only lost to Latvala by 8 percentage point in 2018, and she’s been a stan for public transportations, plus student and teacher’s rights, so we’d obviously like to see her win to help flip the House. Sill, Latvala has been unafraid to break from party lines over his six years in office—and has even let Matt Gaetz know how much of a dumbass he is—so we’re not going to lose sleep if he comes out on top again.
District 68: Ben Diamond
St. Petersburg Ben Diamond has repped D68 well over the last four years, and his background as a lawyer certainly played a role in the success of an environmental land-buying amendment that voters approved (and lawmakers unfortunately hijacked) in 2014. His Republican opponent, 33-year-old former Marine Captain Matt Tito, has run the kind of underdog, grassroots campaign we like around here, but Diamond’s opposition to the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance (M-CORES) toll road—combined with Tito’s responses about Medicaid expansion (“I’d like to take a look at it”), climate change (“there’s something going on with the climate”) and protesters at the Pier (“nobody wants to bring their families down here… They don’t feel safe. They don’t feel secure”)—make Diamond the easy choice.
District 69: Jennifer Webb
A recent St. Pete Polls result shows first-term legislator Jennifer Webb up by almost 10 points over her challenger, first-time state House candidate, Linda Chaney. The poll also shows Webb taking 23% of Republican voters going for the Democrat over Chaney. The numbers are a reflection of how Webb, 40, has been able to balance traditionally left-leaning beliefs (assault weapons bans, letting felons released from prison vote) with her stand on issues that affect all Floridians (Webb opposes the M-CORES toll roads, would like to increase access to mental health and has introduced bills to cut wait times for Medicaid patients). Webb—who in the past has even received her challenger’s vote—is on a roll; let her keep going.
See all of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s 2020 recommendations here.
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