With millions of dollars and endorsements from former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate President Wilton Simpson defeated political newcomer James Shaw to snare the Republican nomination for Florida Agriculture Commmissioner.
The contest was closer than expected with Simpson getting 65% of the vote to Shaw’s 34% with 94% of precincts reporting, even after spending more than $500,000 in the primary — five times as much money as the worm farmer from Pennsylvania.
“I am grateful to the growing coalition of hardworking families, resilient business owners, trusted law enforcement officers, and of course, the Sunshine State’s dedicated farmers who have put their faith in me and our shared vision of Florida’s future,” Simpson said in a press release.
Simpson, a millionaire egg farmer from Trilby, will go on to face Democratic primary winner Naomi Blemur in November for the statewide Cabinet seat that became up for grabs when Democrat Nikki Fried decided to run for governor. Blemur won a three-way race with 50.4% of the vote with 94% of the precincts reporting.
Simpson, who’s been in the Senate for 10 years and led the Republican Party’s Senate fundraising in 2020, was term-limited. He raised $2.3 million by August 18 – more money than all the other candidates combined. And he got additional campaign support from a mystery group that spent over $2 million on TV ads supporting his candidacy.
Simpson portrayed himself as a “common sense” conservative who was running for agriculture commissioner because he wants “every Floridian to have access to the same opportunities” he’s had to live the American dream.
One of his biggest accomplishments is getting the 2021 Right to Farm bill passed, which makes it difficult to file what the law calls “nuisance” suits against farmers.
On the Democratic side, Blemur, a North Miami Dade Democratic Party official and entrepreneur, faced off against cell phone salesman J.R. Gaillot of Gainesville and DJ and cannabis advocate Ryan Morales of Clermont.
The three fought viciously on social media, slinging accusations back and forth about each other.
Blemur led her opponents with key Democratic party endorsements, which were withdrawn as soon as it came out she had expressed anti-abortion views on social media.
Blemur said she was an advocate for small farmers, clean water, renewable energy and making sure everyone has access to the state’s resources.
Attorney General
Former Orange County State Attorney Aramis Ayala won a three-way contest in the Democratic primary for attorney general, beating Santa Rosa attorney Dan Uhlfelder, who gained national headlines for his criticism of DeSantis’ handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite resurrecting his Grim Reaper costume for the primary and having three times as much money as Ayala, he lost 44.7% to 28.4%. Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Jim Lewis came in third with 26.9%.
Ayala spent all but the $8,000 of the $116,000 she raised through the primary. She will face incumbent Ashley Moody, who has more than $7 million at her disposal.
Ayala made headlines several years ago when she said would not seek the death penalty in any case. Former Gov. Rick Scott made sure that no death penalty cases were steered her way.
She’s made fighting domestic violence a centerpiece of her platform.
Complete primary election coverage can be found at OrlandoSentinel.com/election.
