Mitch Perry
For the first time since he won the eastern Hillsborough County District 57 House seat in 2012, Republican Jake Raburn will face competition in a general election.
Democrat Ronald James Vatalaro, a 34-year-old Ruskin resident who works in digital marketing, filed paperwork on Monday with the Division of Elections to run in the seat.
It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for quite awhile,” Vatalaro said about running for office. “I just want to make a positive impact.”
Vatalaro’s wife teaches special education, and he says “seeing the struggles she faces day-to-day was a factor in me wanting to enter public service. I also want to do more to preserve Florida’s delicate ecosystems for my daughter and future generations.”
For Hillsborough County Democrats, Vatalaro’s entry into the race is certainly a positive development, considering the party hasn’t been able to drum up any opposition to Raburn in the HD 57 seat since Bruce Barnett ran for the seat in 2012; Barnett lost to Raburn by 17 points.
Born in Tampa and raised in Plant City, the 33-year-old Raburn works at Hinton Farms, a mid-size strawberry producer. He’s raised $20,020 so far in his bid for a fourth and final term.
HD 57 encompasses FishHawk Ranch, Sun City Center, Wimauma and parts of Bloomingdale and Riverview in southeast Hillsborough County.
