Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Matt Hudson has secured enough signatures to get on the August primary ballot.
Hudson announced Friday he has received enough verified signatures to qualify for the Senate District 28 election. Hudson, who served as the House Speaker pro tempore from 2014 through 2016, said his campaign was able to get petitions from all three counties in the district.
“The amount of encouragement from throughout the district is overwhelming and I am grateful for all of the support,” said Hudson in a statement. “In the Florida House of Representatives, I was dedicated to fighting for lower taxes, cutting government spending, and helping to craft and implement balanced budgets for the State of Florida, and I am excited about the opportunity to put these same conservative principles to work for us in the Florida Senate.”
Hudson was first elected to the Florida House in 2007. The Naples Republican currently represents eastern Collier and Hendry counties.
Hudson faces Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican and a state representative, in the race to replace Sen. Garrett Richter. The newly drawn district includes all of Collier and Hendry counties, as well as a portion of southern Lee County.
State records show Hudson received 1,570 verified signatures. He needed 1,552 to qualify for the ballot.
Passidomo has also indicated she would qualify by petition. State records show she had 1,510 verified signatures as of Friday. She has not reported receiving any signatures from Hendry County.
The official qualifying period for state Senate races runs from noon on June 20 until noon on June 24. As of Friday, no Democrat has filed to in Senate District 28.
