Ryan Nicol
State Sen. Gary Farmer has prevailed in the race for Senate District 34 over write-in candidate Richard Hal Sturm.
Farmer earned 94 percent of the vote to Sturm’s 6 percent.
Farmer was widely expected to hold on to the seat in his matchup against Sturm, who appeared on the ballot as a write-in candidate.
The incumbent did face a challenge in the Democratic primary from former state Rep. Jim Waldman. It was the second time the two faced off after a previous primary battle in 2016. But Farmer defeated Waldman easily, all but securing his re-election in the SD 34 seat.
Sturm was one of several write-in candidates targeted by Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg as “sham candidates.”
No Republican filed to run in SD 34, which should have made the Democratic primary open to all voters. But if a write-in candidate qualifies for the general election, that “closes” a primary to registered members of that party only.
Farmer did earn some backlash in March after he reportedly pushed back against state Sen. Lauren Book’s consideration for a Senate leadership post. Farmer seemingly implied Book’s responsibilities as a mother may get in the way of her leadership duties.
Those comments caused Farmer to lose the support of state Sen. Kevin Rader. Farmer later apologized for the comments.
While the controversy arose again in the weeks before the Aug. 28 primary, it didn’t appear to carry over to the general election campaign.
Farmer has spoken up during his time in the Senate regarding increased teacher pay and environmental protection. Both issues were at the forefront of statewide campaigns this election cycle.
