Peter Schorsch
The Democrats’ candidate Paul Chandler for the special election in House District 44 announced Tuesday he is withdrawing, leaving the Democrats with a chance to replace him before the Oct. 10 special election.
Chandler was set to face the Aug. 15 Republican primary winner, Bobby Olszewski, in an Oct. 10 general election showdown to fill the HD 44 seat for southeast Orange County.
Chandler, however, was running under a legal cloud: his qualification as a candidate was being challenged in court. And while he had insisted he met the qualifications – the key issue is two years residency in Florida – the legal cloud was among what he had cited in his withdrawal, “outside circumstances.”
Another of those circumstances was the calendar: If Chandler were to resign before Aug. 24, the Orange County Democratic Party could selected a replacement candidate who still could get his or her name on the ballot, said Orange County Democratic Party Chair Wes Hodge.
Hodge said the search for a replacement candidate already has begun, and that there were already a couple of people who might be interested in the job.
“We’ll be able to convene as a Democratic Executive Committee and name a replacement for Paul,” Hodge said.
Ryan Ray, communications director at the Democrats’ Florida House Victory, said that group will be working with the Orange County party to nominate a qualified replacement.
“We support Paul’s decision regarding his candidacy and appreciate his contributions towards bringing more voters into the fold very much. Paul is a passionate advocate for Democratic values and we look forward to working with him in the future,” Ray said in a written statement.
Nothing changes for us regardless of what is happening with the Democrats, said Olszewski.
“We’re gong to continue to focus on speaking with as many voters as we possibly can between now and Election Day and listening to what they want to see out of their next state representative, and how we can work together to improve our community and our state,” he said.
