Drew Wilson
Incoming House Speaker Jose Oliva is holding a fundraiser in Tallahassee next week benefitting the new crop of Republican nominees running for the Florida House in the fall.
The fundraising reception well be held at the DoubleTree Hilton, 101 South Adams Street, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition to Oliva, Palm Harbor Rep. Chris Sprowls and Palm Coast Rep. Paul Renner are listed on the host committee.
Sprowls is in line to become House Speaker following the 2020 elections, with Renner set to follow in 2022.
Republicans currently hold a 75-41 majority in the House, with 4 vacant seats.
There are 17 currently Republican lawmakers who cannot run for re-election in 2018 due to term limits, with another handful leaving the chamber early to pursue runs for other offices.
Among those leaving early: Sarasota Rep. Joe Gruters, who is running for SD 23; Venice Rep. Julio Gonzalez, who lost in the primary for CD 17 Tuesday; Winter Park Rep. Mike Miller, who cruised in the CD 7 primary; Dover Rep. Ross Spano, who won the crowded primary contest for CD 15; and Pensacola Rep. Frank White, who lost the Attorney General primary by double digits.
There’s a long list of races that are considered at least somewhat competitive in the fall, where the GOP nominees will need party support for Republicans to avoid ceding ground in the chamber.
The Republican Party of Florida is well equipped to play defense after announcing it raised more than $7.4 million for the reporting period covering April 1 through Aug. 23. In the state Senate, where there are also a number of competitive races slated for November, Republicans are also in decent shape — the party’s Senate campaign arm recently announced more than $7.2 million over the same four month stretch.
The fundraiser invitation is below.
