Peter Schorsch
Republican Rep. Ben Albritton announced endorsements from several Charlotte County officials for his campaign to take over for Senate District 26 Republican Denise Grimsley, who is running for Ag Commissioner in 2018.
Among the endorsements was a nod from Florida House colleague Mike Grant, and former Rep. Ken Roberson, whose time in the Legislature overlapped with Albritton’s for three 2-year terms.
“I have worked with Ben and know his integrity and commitment to doing public service the right way,” Grant said. “With Ben in the Florida Senate, his constituents can be confident they have someone in Tallahassee who will always put their best interest first.”
Roberson added that he was “convinced we can count on him in the Florida Senate.”
The HD 56 Republican also picked up support from Charlotte County Commissioners Ken Doherty, Joe Tiseo and Bill Truex, as well as Punta Gorda Mayor Rachel Keesling.
“Ben Albritton’s proven track record of thoughtful, conservative leadership makes him the clear choice for District 26 in the Florida Senate,” Truex said in a statement. “We know we can count on him to continue to treat his constituents with respect and make decisions that will benefit the people of Charlotte County.”
Albritton, a Wauchula resident, doesn’t currently represent Charlotte County, which is one of the more populous tracts in SD 26. His current seat covers DeSoto and Hardee counties as well as part of Polk, while SD 26 includes those areas, plus all of Highlands, Okeechobee and Glades counties as well as the Charlotte east of Interstate 75.
Albritton is currently the only candidate in the race and has been able to raise $46,700 for his campaign since filing for the seat in February. He has about $25,000 of that money on hand.
SD 26 is reliably Republican and would have voted 60-40 in favor of Mitt Romney back in 2012. President Donald Trump bested Hillary Clinton in the district by a 2-to-1 margin last year, while Grimsley went unopposed.
