Lawrence McClure defeats Yvonne Fry in HD 58 GOP primary

Lawrence McClure has defeated Yvonne Fry in the hard-fought Republican primary for Florida House District 58.

McClure, a 30-year-old Dover businessman, received 54.90 percent of the vote; Fry, a Plant City business executive, took 45.10 percent.

The two Hillsborough County natives ran an increasingly contentious campaign for the GOP nomination to fill the seat of former Rep. Dan Raulerson, who stepped down in August for health reasons.

Raulerson announced he suffers from spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spaces within the spine which causes numbness and pain in the neck, back, and legs.

In the race, both McClure and Fry fought to carry the conservative banner, with mailers – mostly from third-party groups – attempting to brand Fry as a “liberal” – definitely a black mark with voters in the staunch GOP primary.

HD 58 is a Republican-majority district that includes Plant City, Temple Terrace, Dover, Mango, Seffner, Thonotosassa, and parts of Tampa and East Lake-Orient Park.

The winner will now advance to the general election Dec. 19. They will face Democrat Jose Vazquez, Libertarian Bryan Zemina and non-party-affiliated candidate Ahmad Saadaldin.