Brodeur wins:
Victory in District 9 was a major reason GOP held onto its 23-17 edge in Senate.
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Republicans still hold the reins in the Legislature after Democrats failed to flip seats in key races in Central and South Florida, according to unofficial vote totals reported to the state Tuesday night.
Jason Brodeur’s victory over Democrat Patricia Sigman in Senate District 9, which covers Seminole County and part of western
Volusia County, was a major reason the GOP held on to their 23-17 edge in the Senate.
“Tonight is a victory for the shared values that the hard-working people of Seminole and Volusia counties hold so dear,” Brodeur said in a statement released by his campaign. “I want to thank Patricia Sigman for the spirited debate. Stepping into the arena is to be commended and I wish her all the best.”
Brodeur won 50% of the vote to Sigman’s 48%, and no party affiliation candidate Jestine Iannotti took in 2%. Iannotti didn’t raise money or have a visible campaign but was the subject of supportive mailers paid for by a dark money group late in the race.
The contest was one of the most fiercely contested and most expensive in the Legislature and crucial to Democrats’ hopes of eroding the GOP’s advantage in the state Senate.
“While I wish we had been successful tonight, it does not change the immense value of the work we’ve done to advance a positive agenda that put the people first,” Sigman said in a released statement. “Thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and know that I will always continue to fight on behalf of Floridians against the powerful in our state.”
Brodeur raised about $3.8 million between his campaign and political committee accounts, and Sigman pulled in $475,000 for her main campaign account, but the Florida Democratic Party and the Senate Democrats’ campaign accounts spent $3.7 million on her campaign.
Sigman’s loss will hit Democrats especially hard, as the GOP will maintain a firm hold on the Senate ahead of the crucial task of redistricting in 2022. The politically fraught task of drawing new Congressional and legislative maps for the next 10 years could help cement Republican control in Florida for the next decade.
In the House, Republicans gained two seats on Democrats and now have a 76-43 advantage in that chamber, and GOP candidates in Central Florida helped them add to their margins.
Incumbent Republicans Scott Plakon of Longwood and David Smith of Sanford held off Democratic challengers in tight races.
Plakon defeated Democrat Tracey Kagan in the District 29 race, defeating her 50-47%, with
no party affiliation candidate Juan Rodriguez picking up 3%. Smith held off Pasha Baker in District 30, winning 52-46%, as no party affiliation candidate Michael Riccio took in 2%.
Here’s a closer look at the other unofficial House race results in Central Florida:
HD 30 — In a rematch of 2018, incumbent Rep. Joy Goff-Marcill, D-Maitland, defeated Bob Cortes, who lost the seat to her two years ago. Goff-Marcill won 53-47%.
HD 42 — This race was too close to call Tuesday night. Democrat Barbara Ann Cady held a 470 vote lead over Republican Fred Hawkins with some votes still left to count in this district that covers part of Polk and Osceola counties. The lead is 0.54%, or just above the 0.5% threshold in state law that would trigger a recount. No party affiliation candidate gar
nered nearly 7% of the vote with nearly 5,990 votes.
HD 44 — Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, held onto her seat in western Orange County, beating Republican Bruno Portigliatti 52-48%.
HD 47 — Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, is headed back to the Capitol after defeating Republican
Jeremy Sisson 59-41%.
HD 48 — Democrat Daisy Morales won this open seat over Republican Jesus Martinez by a 65-35% margin.
HD 49 — Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, defeated GOP challenger Robert Prater 62-38%.