Drew Wilson
Bob Cortes’ campaign to retake House District 30 is celebrating two straw poll wins against incumbent Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil.
The crowd at the Last Hoorah Hob Nob supported the Republican former lawmaker by a 74% to 26% margin. Cortes’ victory at the East Side Regional Hob Nob was more lopsided — he received 92% support while Goff-Marcil, a freshman Democrat, received 8%.
“I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support from these two important regions of House District 30,” Cortes said. “I will always put our community first and fight for our families in Tallahassee. I look forward to rejoining the Florida Legislature this fall and continue the work that I started on behalf of the citizens of Central Florida.”
Cortes represented HD 30 seat for two terms before Goff-Marcil defeated him by six points in 2018.
In April, Cortes announced that he would run to retake his old seat. The former Longwood Mayor quickly gained support from his former Republican colleagues in the Legislature — more than a dozen, including House Speaker-designate Chris Sprowls and Senate President-designate Wilton Simpson, have chipped in to his campaign.
He has also earned endorsements from the Greater Orlando Builders Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, BusinessForce and four members of the Seminole County School Board.
As of July 10, Cortes had raised $83,000 for his campaign and had $66,600 in the bank. Through the same date, Goff-Marcil had managed to raise $31,600 and had about $28,000 in the bank.
HD 30 spans southern Seminole County and north-central Orange County. It is a swing district, having flipped parties in three of the past four elections.
