Mike Miller and Stephanie Murphy will meet for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House. Darren Soto and Val Demings also won their congressional primaries.
Soto gets past Grayson, as all 3 freshmen Dems in 2016 win their primaries
Republican State Rep. Mike Miller cruised to primary victory in Florida’s 7th Congressional District to face Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, while U.S. Rep. Darren Soto defeated liberal firebrand Alan Grayson in the 9th District.
Miller’s victory over Scott Sturgill and Vennia Francois sets up what could be the region’s most competitive race in November against Murphy, who beat progressive Chardo Richardson with 86 percent of the vote.
Miller, who carried 54 percent of the vote to Sturgill’s 30, said his message of balancing the budget and lowering taxes resonated with voters in the district, which includes parts of Orange and Seminole counties.
“Congresswoman Murphy is going to have to think about her positions,” Miller said. “It’s a validation if you will that I think the voters of Congressional District 7 want a center-right candidate.”
Murphy, a moderate who unseated 12-term Republican John Mica in 2016, said her record shows she’s not afraid to stand up to President Donald Trump or the Democratic Party and will continue to focus on jobs, security and equality in the upcoming race.
“I think this election will be about who will always do what’s right no matter the political cost,” Murphy said.
All three freshmen Democrats that Central Florida voters sent to Congress in 2016 — Soto, Murphy and Val Demings — were victorious in their primaries. Demings, unlike the others, was re-elected to a second term with 75 percent of the vote since she has no Republican opponent in November.
In the 6th District, which spans Volusia and Flagler counties and also touches parts of Lake and St. John, Democrat Nancy Soderberg, a former ambassador to the United Nations, advanced in a 3-way contest. She’ll face Michael Waltz, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and frequent Fox News guest, who drew 42 percent of ballots.
Soto credited his campaigning on issues such as affordable housing and bringing higher-paying jobs to the region for his victory.
“I’m very proud of the fact that we ran a positive and inspiring campaign on the issues despite the fact there was a lot of negativity,” said Soto, who received 66 percent of ballots.
Grayson called Soto’s election “a direct threat to democracy,” citing backing by 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, son of Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch, for a PAC that spent hundreds of thousands of
“I’m very proud of the fact that we ran a positive and inspiring campaign on the issues despite the fact there was a lot of negativity.”
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto
dollars supporting Soto and attacking Grayson.
“They’re playing a long game to stave off impeachment [of President Trump],” Grayson said.
The race between Grayson and Soto was heated, with Soto accusing Grayson of not being respectful to women for calling his nowex-wife a “gold-digger” and Grayson mentioning Soto’s wife’s arrest of charges of disorderly intoxication at Walt Disney World.
Soto again faces Republican Wayne Lienbitzky in November, whom he beat by 15 points in 2016.
The primary battle between Miller and Sturgill saw both Republicans embrace President Donald Trump and question each others’ conservative credentials.
Both candidates called for an end to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential Russian involvement with the Trump campaign and called it a “witch hunt,” matching language used by the president.
Sturgill, a Sanford businessman, was backed by former House Speaker John Boehner — who headlined a fundraiser for him — and controversial Trump confidant Roger Stone. Contact Ryan at 407-420-5002, rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com or @byryangillespie on Twitter.