For House District 35, Democrat Marucci Guzmán; no GOP endorsement
Gov. Ron DeSantis stripped residents of Florida House District 35 of representation June 30, the effective resignation date for Fred Hawkins, whom the governor gifted with a cushy job as president of South Florida State College. Then DeSantis dragged his heels setting an election for a replacement. The primary in this race won’t be held until Nov. 7, and winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries won’t face off until Jan. 13, 2024.
That puts residents of this sprawling district, which covers parts of Osceola and Orange counties, at a big disadvantage. Assuming the winner is certified on Election Night (meaning, no recounts or challenges, and elections officials working feverishly round the clock to perform necessary audits and certify the results ASAP) the winner will arrive in Tallahassee at least a week, probably two or three, after the legislative session officially starts Jan. 9. Whoever the new representative is, they’ll miss deadlines to attend pre-session committee weeks (which started in September); have legislation drafted and to file budget requests (due Nov. 14); to file bills, including local bills or request Senate companions (subject to rolling deadlines, with a Jan. 9 cutoff ) or to participate in the first weeks of the 2024 session.
DeSantis has offered no explanation as to why he left the seat vacant so long — particularly since he set a far more accelerated timeline to elect a new representative in South Florida’s District 118, which should be finalized in a Dec. 5 election. That seat was vacated just two weeks before Hawkins’ departure. But the governor’s decision clearly wasn’t made with the interests of Orange and Osceola counties in mind. No matter who wins, we hope that House Speaker Paul Renner gives the new representative a little time to secure local priorities.
Despite the delay, this could be one of the most competitive districts in the state. Voter registration from 2022 shows a roughly even three-way split between Republicans, Democrats and voters with no party affiliation (who will not be able to vote in November’s partisan primary). So it’s no surprise that it’s drawn a lot of interest — and money, more than $600,000 total so far for the three Republicans and three Democrats in the race. Expect more money to pour into the race after the primary.
GOP and Democratic voters both face tough choices — for very different reasons.
House 35 Democratic primary: Marucci Guzmán
This was a tough call, for all the right reasons. All three of the candidates in this race are well-informed and ready to represent this district well — and two of them, hotelier/attorney
Rishi Bagga and Marucci Guzmán, who heads three local nonprofits and was a finalist for the Sentinel’s 2022 Central Floridian of the Year — have the potential to be superstars in a badly wounded state party structure. The third candidate, retired Naval commander Tom Keen, is no slouch either: He came within a few dozen votes of beating Bagga when the two faced off in the 2022 Democratic primary in the same district, and his sincere outrage at the Legislature’s excesses is compelling.
The three share very similar priorities: protecting women’s reproductive rights; blocking DeSantis’ worst excesses, particularly when it comes to public schools; and doing their best to work across the aisle to secure funding and advance local needs in a Legislature where the deck is stacked against Democrats.
This is what gives Guzmán her slight edge. She knows this district well: She’s married to former Rep. Rene Plasencia, a Republican who represented part of District 35 prior to redistricting. That makes her sister-in-law to current Rep. Susan Plasencia, who is also a Republican.
Guzmán doesn’t mention her family ties much. She does, however, make a compelling case that she has the best shot of the primary opponents at winning this seat in January, given that 30 percent of the district identifies as Hispanic. If that were her only argument, it wouldn’t be enough. But she has a proven record of working through the legislative process as an advocate for families of autistic Floridians and — as many local executives targeted by her fundraising and advocacy pitches can attest — a charming but relentless approach that could be a great weapon for a newly elected member of Florida’s underdog party.
Bagga’s astute grasp of complex legislative issues would be dazzling even for a veteran lawmaker, and it’s paired with a disarming, witty approach that would probably make him a candidate for legislative leadership. And Keen seems to revel in being underestimated. But Guzmán’s argument — that the Democrats’ first challenge must be to get elected in numbers that make them once again relevant in state politics, and that she is by far the most electable — give her the narrowest of edges.
House GOP primary: No endorsement
In the GOP primary for House District 35, the frontrunner is clear. Osceola County School Board Member Erika Booth is a known quantity to many local voters, and her fundraising has outstripped her nearest opponent, Scotty Moore, by more than 2-1. Like Democratic candidate Marucci Guzmán, she’s got strong family connections: Her husband, Ricky, is an Osceola County commissioner.
But Booth seems confused about which legislative body she’s trying to join. Her official campaign website’s list of issues leads off with “Fight Joe Biden’s Woke Agenda,” and includes repeated pledges to “crack down on illegal immigration” and “defend our God-given rights as enshrined in the Constitution. ALL OF THEM.” She also says she’d prioritize election integrity — which is odd, given her stated vow to stand with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who steadfastly ignored GOP meddling in recent races, and Donald Trump, who is currently under indictment for multiple election-related crimes.
Few of her priorities touch on any of the duties she’d face as a Florida lawmaker — not a word about skyrocketing housing and insurance costs, the challenges of climate change and environmental conservation, or any inkling of where she stands on the threat to Florida’s public school funding from a recklessly expensive plan to expand private-school vouchers to any family that wants them. (Her silence on that is particularly odd, given her position as a School Board member supposedly dedicated to the well-being of Osceola public school students).
Booth — along with her two opponents — seems to be carefully minimizing the opportunities for people to clarify her positions on genuine state issues such as reproductive rights or legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ Floridians, making only a few public appearances and declining interview requests. A cynical person might suspect she’s waiting until after the GOP primary to unveil a moderate-sounding agenda that would scuttle her chances of getting votes in the November primary but win over non-partisan voters in the January election.
Well, color us cynical.
The website for Moore, a former candidate for Congress, mixes in a few state issues — including harsh restrictions on abortion and support for “parents’ rights,” which has become a buzzword for book-banning and bigotry. But Ken Davenport, who challenged Hawkins in 2022, has taken elusiveness to new heights. When the Sentinel tried to schedule him for an editorial board interview he replied that he was taking a two-week vacation — returning less than a month before the Nov. 7 election. That’s downright disrespectful to the District 35 voters.
With so little information on what any of the GOP candidates would actually do once elected, we cannot make an endorsement in this race. But we very much recommend that residents of District 35 remember this perplexing reticence in January, when it’s time to pick the person they want to fight for them in Tallahassee. This week, we wrap up our endorsements for the Nov. 7 primary. However, we urge voters to not rely solely on our opinions in deciding how to cast a vote. Voters should check the candidates’ campaign websites and social media accounts (if they don’t have either, that should be a red flag). Ask friends and neighbors what they think. Google the candidates and go to the city’s website to see who’s giving money to their campaigns. In addition, we’ve recorded our interviews and posted them in full at OrlandoSentinel.com/ opinion.
Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, which consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Insight Editor Jay Reddick and Editor-inChief Julie Anderson. Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell participates in interviews and deliberations. Send emails to insight@ orlandosentinel.com.