Drew Wilson
An Emmy-winning TV professional has filed to run for House District 47 as a Democrat, setting up a three-way primary for a chance to face off against incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Miller for the Orange County seat.
Beth Tuura announced her run Wednesday and said she chose to enter the race because when she looks at the Florida Legislature she sees “a group of people who are stacking the deck against everyday Floridians in favor of the big special interests that run Tallahassee.”
“As your State Representative, I will fight to ensure that we stop turning back the clock for women in Florida, that we provide our public school students and teachers with the resources they need so that every child can fulfill their greatest potential, and that every Floridian receives full and equal protection under the law,” Tuura said in her announcement. “I know that working together as a community, we can build a Florida that works for all Floridians!”
Tuura, a Washington State University alumna, has lived in Florida since 2000 and has worked for the four major networks, as well as Turner Broadcasting and ESPN as a technical director for live sports broadcasts – a skilled trade that oversees production staff, handles effects and swaps between video feeds.
In order to get the Democratic nod in HD47, Tuura will have to survive a three-way Democratic Primary against Clinton Curtis and Henry Lim. Curtis is best known for accusing former U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney of election-rigging, though those charges were never substantiated. He ended up running for Congress against Feeney in the mid-2000s but was trampled on Election Day. So far, his Florida House campaign has yet to pick up steam. Through two months, his only campaign contribution was a $100 loan.
Lim, conversely, has posted respectable numbers for a candidate chasing an incumbent. The Orlando immigration lawyer has pulled together about $14,000 in on-hand money through three months in the race.
Miller leads them all with a comfortable $54,000 on-hand, though the district could be end up costing quite a bit to keep if any of the Democratic candidates survives their primary with enough cash.
HD47 is just about even in voter registration and Miller rode the 2014 Republican wave to 4-point victory over former Democratic Rep. Linda Stewart last cycle. If Democrats show up in expected numbers next year, the seat could easily slip out of the GOP’s grasp.
With those odds, it’s likely Tuura won’t be the last Democrat to enter the race.
