Kelly Hayes
Republican incumbent Chris Latvala will keep his seat in House District 67 after a difficult campaign season health-wise.
Latvala took the race easily, earning 57.01% of the votes from the Pinellas County district. His Democratic opponent, Dawn Douglas, mustered 42.99% of the vote.
The district is an even split between parties, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats by just a couple of hundred voters.
As of Oct. 6, District 67 reported 110,732 registered voters, 38,318 are Republicans and 37,780 are Democrats. Of the remaining voters, 1,765 are registered with a third party, and 32,869 have no party affiliation.
Latvala’s campaign season leading up to the General Election proved challenging health-wise for the incumbent after he contracted COVID-19. The Republican spent several days in the hospital battling the virus during critical campaigning periods.
Latvala was first admitted to the hospital Aug. 29, and stayed until Sept. 1. Then, Latvala returned Sept. 4 and remained until Sept. 13.
He has now recovered from what he called “the hardest thing I have ever faced in my life.”
The incumbent managed to report some of his highest campaign fundraising numbers while battling COVID-19, showing he had a strong network of support to help him through this reelection campaign. Latvala brought in $44,650 during the period covering his September hospital stay.
Latvala dominated the race in fundraising, bringing in $353,460. The incumbent had significant party support, with the Florida GOP donating $50,000 to his campaign since its start, including a $40K boost while Latvala was recovering from his hospital stay.
Douglas, on the other hand, trailed Latvala throughout the race, only raising $13,676. The Democrat also added $2,500 in self-funding.
HD 67 covers parts of mid- and north-Pinellas County, including Largo.
