Drew Wilson
Collier County Commissioner Georgia Hiller is ending her campaign for House District 106 and will instead seek the Collier County Clerk of Courts post, the candidate announced Tuesday.
Hiller’s exit leaves two Republicans in the race for the GOP leaning seat currently held by term-limited Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, who is running for Senate.
Robert Rommel is now the undisputed frontrunner for Passidomo’s seat. The Naples businessman had amassed more than $57,000 in on-hand cash by the end of January, compared to just $2,000 for Hiller during her time in the race.
He faces newly filed candidate Lavigne Ann Kirkpatrick in the Republican Primary and, if successful, will go up against no-party candidate Brandon Smith on Election Day.
Kirkpatrick is a registered nurse who served as the chair of the Florida Board of Nursing from 2007 to 2014. The Florida State University alumna now works as the head of external affairs for Avow, a Naples area Hospice provider.
Smith, who filed for the seat shortly after Passidomo won her fourth term, has just $15 in his campaign account. Kirkpatrick’s first campaign finance report, which will cover the final week of February, is due March 10.
