Drew Wilson
Republican HD 89 candidate Matt Spritz announced another wave of legislative endorsements Monday got his campaign to replace term-limited Rep. Bill Hager in the Palm Beach County seat.
Northeast Florida Reps. Bobby Payne and Tom Leek added their names to the list of sitting legislators supporting Spritz, which also includes Byron Donalds, Alex Miller, and Bob Rommel.
“Matt Spritz embodies all that makes a great public servant,” said Payne, who was elected to HD 19 last year. “His background, leadership skills, and conservative convictions will serve the people of District 89 very well, and I look forward to having him as a colleague.”
Leek, a freshman lawmaker in HD 25, added that Spritz “will be an outstanding member of the Florida House.”
“His strong work ethic, values, and concern for others make him exactly the kind of person we need more of in Tallahassee,” he said.
Spritz said he was “honored” to have the endorsements of Payne and Leek and lauded them for setting “a great example for how to serve the people of Florida with vision and excellence.” He also said he looks forward to serving with them in the Legislature.
So far Spritz is the only GOP candidate to file in HD 89, which covers coastal Palm Beach County from Singer Island through Boca Raton, where Hager, Spritz and the majority of the district’s voters live.
Through the end of July, the Emory University and from New York University School of Law alumnus had raised about $88,000, including $40,000 in loans he made to his campaign. He has about $86,000 of that money on hand.
His sole opponent is Democrat Ryan Rossi, who had raised just $5,200 through the end of July and has about $2,500 on hand.
About 36 percent of the HD 89 electorate are registered Republicans while a third are registered Democrats. Hager won re-election to the House in 2012 and 2014 with 53 percent of the vote. In 2016, his opponent failed to qualify, leaving him uncontested on Election Day.
