Mitch Perry
Wengay Newton has received another endorsement in his quest to win the House District 70 Democratic primary later this month. It’s former St. Pete city councilman, state legislator, and Juvenile Justice Secretary Frank Peterman Jr. who is backing his campaign.
Newton has received the lion’s share of endorsements in the four-county district (Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota), which also includes candidates Dan Florini and CJ Czaia. The winner of the overwhelmingly Democratic district will face Republican Cory Fournier in November.
“I endorse Wengay Newton for the Florida House of State Representatives,” Peterman says. “He will fight for our issues in District 70.”
Peterman currently serves as pastor of the Rock of Jesus Missionary Baptist Church, where he’s been at since 2003. He represented the district (then known as District 55) from 2000-2008.
“I feel like my eight years of governance hasn’t been in vain,” Newton said Wednesday on the support he’s received in the race.
As of Aug. 5, the last filing period, Newton had slightly more than $19,000 in cash-on-hand. That was considerably more than both Florini and Czaia. Florini had not much more than $1,000 cash-on-hand, while Czaia spent more than he had taken in as of two weeks ago.
