If Keith Perry mounts Senate bid, Republican ready for HD 21 run

If Gainesville Republican Rep. Keith Perry decides to run for state Senate, there’s one Republican, at least, chomping at the bit to take over his House District 21 seat.

Newberry Republican Chuck Clemons announced his candidacy Thursday but said he would bow out of the race if Perry decides to seek his final term in the House.

“My family settled in Florida before it became a state. I am proud to call Alachua County home, and I am very excited about the opportunity to serve a region I love,” Clemons said. “From the Gulf of Mexico to the heart of Gainesville, I will work hard to keep our area a special place where folks can and want to live, work, raise a family, and retire.”

Clemons is the vice president of advancement and communications at Santa Fe College and said college and university support would be his top priorities in the House. Before Santa Fe, Clemons was elected to two terms on the Alachua County Commission from 1996 to 2000.

The former financial consultant also co-founded Bikers on Parade for the USA, which has raised more than $500,000 for veterans through motorcycle-related charity events.

District 21 includes the western half of Alachua County as well all of Dixie and Gilchrist counties. Despite being home to 9,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, it should remain safely in GOP hands because of low turnout among the district’s university students.

Perry didn’t face much of a challenge in his two elections since the district was redrawn. In the 2012 cycle, he took 56.7 percent of the vote against Democrat Andre Morey and in 2014, Perry bested Democrat Jon Uman with 58 percent of the vote.

His path to the Senate might not be as easy. The new District 8 includes all of Alachua and Putnam counties as well as the northern half of Marion County and the split between parties looks to be razor thin. In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney by just 1 percent in the district.

If former Democratic Sen. Rod Smith enters the race, as has been mentioned, Perry would be in for quite a battle.