Kelly Hayes
Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried is endorsing Democrat Adam Hattersley in his run for Florida’s 15th Congressional District.
As Florida’s sole statewide elected Democrat, Fried’s endorsement is a significant move ahead of the Tuesday primary election.
“As a State Representative, Adam has been a tireless fighter for the interests of everyday Floridians,” Fried said in a news release. “He has been a leading voice on equality, environmental justice, and voting rights, and I know he will continue to advocate for these issues in Congress.”
Hattersley, a former Naval officer, is running against two other Democrats in the August Primaries: Alan Cohn and Jesse Philippe, though his top competitor is Cohn.
“Commissioner Fried has done great work for Floridians as our Commissioner of Agriculture, and has been an inspiring leader for Democrats across Florida,” Hattersley said in a news release. “Nikki represents the future of the Democratic party, and I am honored to have her endorsement.”
This endorsement adds to Hattersley’s list of support from elected officials, including Sen. Janet Cruz, Rep. Fentrice Driskell and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. Hattersley has also garnered endorsements from several key organizations like the Sierra Club, Muslims for Democracy and Fairness and the Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus.
The race for CD 15 is one of Florida’s most hotly contested, with candidates from both parties going hard after Republican incumbent Ross Spano, whose campaign finance snafu in 2018 continues to haunt him as he wards off what has become a more difficult first reelection campaign than it should have been.
Spano drew a primary opponent in Lakeland City Commissioner Scott Franklin.
Philippe hasn’t filed financial reports for the month of July, missing the Aug. 6 deadline to do so. As of June 30, the most recent report available for the candidate, Philippe had raised less than $16,000 while all other candidates have raised well into six figures.
