Rep. Lauren Melo is making clear who she wants to succeed her in the House.
The Naples Republican is endorsing Liessa Priddy, an Immokalee Republican who jumped into the House District 82 race in August.
“Liesa Priddy is the conservative Republican fighter we need in the Florida House. That’s why I’m proud to endorse her,” Melo said.
“Liesa’s family are third-generation Florida ranchers in Immokalee. Her extensive community involvement and dedication to a dynamic, growing Naples, as well as Florida’s precious rural lands in eastern Collier and Hendry County, make her the perfect candidate for State House District 82, Florida’s geographically largest State House seat.”
Melo, who won election to the House in 2020, is forgoing a run for re-election to instead run for an open Senate District 28 seat. She remains the only candidate in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Sen. Kathleen Passidomo.
Priddy is currently one of three Republicans running for the open seat, and faces Bill Poteet and Hugo Vargas in a Primary next year. She embraced Melo’s support.
“Lauren Melo’s endorsement means so much to me because of the stellar job she’s done representing our area in the Florida House,” Priddy said. “Lauren is a fearless champion for conservative values while at the same time advocating for our special area of Florida. I look forward to following in her footsteps and hope to earn the trust of the voters of this district the way she has since 2020.”
The support follows one of Priddy’s former competitors, Drew Montez-Clark, suspending his campaign and backing Priddy, who recently announced she has amassed $151,000 to run for the seat.
By comparison, Poteet has raised more than $33,000 in his official campaign account and his political committee, Friends of Bill Poteet, while Vargas reported almost $22,000 between his account and his political committee, Friends of Hugo Vargas.
