AFP Action announces wave of state legislative endorsements

Americans for Prosperity Action has released another volley of state legislative endorsements this cycle, backing two Republicans running for Senate and 11 vying for House seats.

The Senate nods went to Jake Johansson, who is competing to succeed term-limited Sen. Tom Wright in Senate District 8, and Rep. Lauren Melo, the leading candidate to replace former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo in Southwest Florida-based SD 28.

AFP Action’s House slate stretched from the Panhandle to South Florida. The endorsements: Jon Fay for House District 2; Jacksonville City Council member Terrance Freeman for HD 12; Chad Johnson for HD 22; Erika Booth for HD 35; Emily Duda Buckley for HD 38; Erin Huntley for HD 45; Samantha Scott for HD 52; Ryan Gill for HD 68; Liesa Priddy for HD 82; Anthony Bonna for HD 85; and Eric Stelnicki for HD 100.

“Floridians deserve to be represented by officials who are passionate about making the lives of all Floridians better. These candidates will do just that, championing policies like deregulation, school choice, and housing policy reforms. We look forward to mobilizing our grassroots network to ensure these principled candidates are elected come November,” said Skylar Zander, AFP Action’s senior Florida adviser and State Director of AFP-FL.

The races AFP weighed in on Thursday aren’t expected to be competitive in November. Even-numbered Senate districts weren’t on the 2024 ballot, but Wright won re-election handily in 2022 while Passidomo went unopposed. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump carried 10 of the 11 House districts where AFP is issuing endorsements, six of them by double digits.

HD 38 was the only exception — former VP Kamala Harris earned 50% of the vote there to Trump’s 48%. On the same ballot, Republican Rep. David Smith was elected to a fourth term with just over 50% of the vote in a head-to-head with Democratic nominee Marsha Summersill.

HD 45 was also close, but went for Trump by about half a point as Democratic Rep. Leonard Spencer ousted scandal-plagued former Republican Rep. Carolina Amesty, 51%-49%.

Many of the races on AFP’s radar will see action in August, however.

The field in HD 2, currently held by term-limited Rep. Alex Andrade, features a half-dozen Republicans. Fay, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Navy flight officer, has the most momentum thus far, with AFP’s endorsement coming just after his campaign landed support from the Associated Industries of Florida, an influential business lobby.

AIF bundled Fay’s endorsement with one for Priddy, who is in a four-way Primary contest. Her quiver of supporters also includes Melo, who is vacating the seat to run for SD 28 — Melo is currently the lone candidate in that race.