Ryan Ray
Just hours after Sen. Nancy Detert announced she will forgo the remainder of her state Senate term to pursue a seat on the Sarasota County Commissioner, former Sarasota Rep. Doug Holder announced he will run to succeed her in 2016.
Holder was originally slated to pursue the seat in 2018, when Detert was slated to term out, but her decision to retire from the Senate early has set in motion a chain reaction among local pols vying for the Republican-tilting seat.
After congratulating Detert – beloved locally for her moderation and independence in Tallahassee – Holder said he looks forward to running in what is likely a vigorous campaign.
“I am excited about taking our message of conservative values, limited government, and free market principles to the Florida Senate. I look forward to working to remove barriers to economic growth and job creation and making sure that Florida has a world-class education system,” said Holder, who served in the Legislature from 2006 until 2014.
“I look forward to fighting to rein in government spending and stop waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Holder. “It is vital that we keep taxes low so that Floridians can keep more of their hard-earned money, especially our seniors.”
A campaign news release makes note of the fact that the former chairman of the House Regulatory Affairs Committee received an “A” rating from the Florida Chamber of Commerce each year he was in office and was generally considered an ally of business advocacy groups.
Holder is likely to take on incumbent Rep. Greg Steube for the SD 28 seat, though a run by Rep. Ray Pilon – who floated the idea of running over the summer before Republican Party of Florida vice chair Joe Gruters publicly told news outlets Pilon would not run – is not out of the question.
Former Democratic Rep. Keith Fitzgerald has been rumored to have an interest as well.
