Drew Wilson
State Sen. Jeff Brandes is hosting a kickoff reception Wednesday evening for his re-election effort.
More than three dozen current and former local officials are on the host committee for the event, set for the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
Host committee members include Republican Reps. Larry Ahern, Chris Latvala, Kathleen Peters, Chris Sprowls and Dana Young, as well as former Rep. Frank Farkas, former Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst, and former St. Petersburg Mayors Bill Foster and Rick Baker, among many others.
Brandes is currently unopposed in his re-election campaign, which due to new district maps in 2012 and 2016, will be his third Senate run in four years.
The newly redrawn Senate District 24 has a slim GOP edge, and narrowly voted for Obama four years ago, making it possible Brandes could face a Democratic challenger in the fall. Heading into April, the Pinellas County senator had raised about $184,000 for his re-election campaign and had about $59,000 of that money on hand.
Event begins 5:30 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, 11 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. RSVP with Rick Porter at 407-849-1112 or [email protected].
