Ed Hooper to kick off reelection run with Aug. 24 fundraiser

Ed Hooper.

Republican Sen. Ed Hooper will get his reelection campaign rolling with a fundraiser in his Clearwater-based district later this month.

An invitation to the event shows a long list of current and former elected leaders will be at Island Way Grill on the evening of Aug. 24.

The headliners: Senate President Wilton Simpson, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Rules Chair Kathleen Passidomo, who is set to take over for Simpson after the 2022 election.

The list also includes Republican Sen. Ben Albritton, who is jockeying with Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. to become Senate President for the 2024-26 term.

Other lawmakers expected to turn out include Sens. Jim Boyd, Danny Burgess, Joe Gruters, Jeff Brandes and Reps. Chris Latvala and Nick DiCeglie, the latter of whom hopes to succeed Brandes in the Senate next year.

The two-hour fundraiser starts at 5 p.m.

Hooper has held the District 16 seat in the Senate since 2018. A retired firefighter, he previously served four terms in the state House before exiting in 2014 because of term limits. Currently, the incumbent is the only declared candidate for next year’s election.

The current SD 16 has a Republican advantage. The seat was a top target for both parties three years ago. Former Rep. Amanda Murphy, a moderate Democrat who flipped a GOP House seat in the mid-2010s, pulled in about 47% of the vote to Hooper’s 53% in a heads-up race.

Registered Republicans make up about 38% of the SD 16 electorate while Democrats hold a 31% share and third- and no-party voters make up the balance.

To date, Hooper has raised $64,550 through his official campaign account and has about $52,500 banked. He has another $408,500 in his political committee, Friends of Ed Hooper, for an on-hand total of $461,500 as of July 31.