AFP Action endorses Republican candidates in three districts Democrats flipped last cycle

Bob Cortes, Fiona McFarland, Thomas Fabricio

The political arm of Americans for Prosperity is endorsing Republican challengers running in three House districts held by Democrats.

AFP Action supports Bob Cortes in House District 30, Fiona McFarland in HD 72 and Tom Fabricio in HD 103.

“We’re pleased to support three more exceptional candidates running for the Florida House of Representatives,” said Skyler Zander, AFP Action Senior Adviser.

“By supporting educational opportunity for all Florida students, creating an environment that promotes our economic recovery and growth, and ensuring more Floridians have access to quality, affordable health care, these individuals will be a tremendous asset to our state legislature if elected this November. Our activists look forward to hitting the ground running to elect Bob Cortes, Tom Fabricio, and Fiona McFarland this year.”

Cortes, who previously served two terms in the House, fights this year to retake a Central Florida House seat. Democrat Joy Goff-Marcil ousted Cortes in 2018, but the Republican is seeking to get his old job back. The GOP challenger holds a significant cash advantage heading into the General Election, even before picking up the AFP Action endorsement. In a news release, the center-right group is praising Cortes as a supporter of “educational freedom that allows Florida’s students to learn in an environment that meets their needs, better health care at a price families can afford, and policies that make it easier for our economy to recover stronger than before.”

McFarland was the only candidate running for an open seat. She originally signed up to challenge Democratic Rep. Margaret Good, who decided to run for Congress this year instead of seeking reelection. McFarland recently won in a three-candidate Republican primary, with the Navy veteran narrowly defeating Sarasota County Charter Review Board member Donna Barcomb. She now faces Democrat Drake Buckman, who currently holds a cash advantage after avoiding a primary, but raised a fraction of McFarland’s overall take.

Good flipped the district blue in a special election win in early 2018 and held it through the last election cycle.

Fabricio, a Miramar attorney, just emerged from a Republican primary over Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Nelson Rodriguez, where he won 60% of the GOP vote. He’s challenging Democratic Rep. Cindy Polo, who holds the money edge in the race for now.

Polo flipped the seat blue in an open race last election cycle; she was outspent but won by 6 percentage points. The sought-after support of AFP Action could level the playing field as the GOP seeks to unseat the incumbent.