Drew Wilson
Republican Rep. Elizabeth Porter is now facing a primary challenger in her re-election campaign for House District 10.
High Springs Republican Carol Daughtery filed for the seat May 19, making her the fourth candidate in the race after Porter and Democrats Jerry Bullard and Fredrick Schutte IV.
Daughtery currently works as a precinct clerk for the Alachua County Elections and also serves as the president of the student senate at Santa Fe College.
According to a recent feature from Gainesville ABC affiliate WCJB, Daughtery earned her bachelor’s degree from Santa Fe College this year on the same day as her son Max.
Porter has held her seat in the Legislature since 2010, and is running for her final term in HD 10. She has only had to go through one GOP primary since taking office.
That 2010 contest pitted her against Terry Rauch, Charles Underhill and Paul Watson, though she easily handled the competition with nearly 73 percent of the vote.
Since that cycle, Porter has not faced a primary or major-party general election challenger, which is surprising given that the HD 10 electorate features 8,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.
Through the end of April, the Lake City incumbent had raised $33,515 and had about $17,000 cash on hand.
The total gives her an edge over Schutte and Bullard, who started May with about $10,200 and $8,700, respectively.
Daughtery’s first campaign finance report, which will cover May 19 through May 31, is due in mid-June. If those numbers show signs of life, Porter may be in for a tough time in the fall.
