Republican jumps into race to replace Sullivan
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - With Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, announcing this month that she will not seek re-election, the first Republican candidate has emerged to try to replace her in a Central Florida House District.
Eustis Republican Randy Glisson opened a campaign account Friday to run in House District 31, which is made up of parts of Lake and Orange counties, according to the state Division of Elections website. Also in the race is Eustis Democrat Debra Kaplan, who opened an account last year and had raised $9,148 as of Feb. 29, records show.
Sullivan, who was first elected to the seat in 2014, had opened an account to run again in November. But she announced on the House floor this month that she would not seek another term. Also in recent days, Davie Republican Diana Bivona Belviso opened an account to run in 2022 against Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, in what is now Broward County’s Senate District 32. Book, who was first elected to the Senate in 2016, had raised $55,300 for her campaign account as of Feb. 29. The district is expected to change in 2022 because of the once-a-decade reapportionment process.