Joe Harding endorses Carolina Amesty’s bid for HD 45

Among those candidates getting Chamber endorsements is Carolina Amesty

Carolina Amesty has picked up an endorsement from Williston Rep. Joe Harding in the crowded Republican Primary for House District 45.

“I wholeheartedly endorse Carolina Amesty for State House in District 45 because she is a strong conservative who will govern with integrity,” said Harding, the lawmaker who sponsored the controversial parental rights legislation that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

“Carolina is a proven champion for school choice and she knows that parents must be in the driver’s seat when it comes to their children’s education. She is a successful business owner in her own right, and because of her Venezuelan heritage she can speak firsthand about loss of freedom when government takes too much control.”

Amesty thanked Harding for the endorsement and praised the first-term lawmaker for “fighting courageously for our values in the Florida House, taking on the large corporations and the liberal media who are trying to distort the Parental Rights in Education legislation.”

“I hope to serve alongside Rep. Harding next year and join forces in defending the rights of parents and families,” she said.

Amesty is currently the vice president at Central Christian University and serves as a board member for Chaplains of Florida, American Chaplains, and Central Christian Academy. A campaign news release says that as an American with Venezuelan heritage, Amesty “is deeply conscious of the consequences of socialism and will fight tirelessly to combat the radical left and defend free markets for all.”

She is one of four Republicans running in HD 45, which covers Windermere, the Walt Disney World property and much of southwestern Orange County. She faces Bruno Portigliati, Vennia Francois and Mike Zhao in the Primary.

Allie Lee Braswell Jr. has filed to run for the Democrats.

So far, Francois and Zhao are the only candidates who have reported fundraising numbers. Amesty and Braswell entered the race in March and will turn in their first reports later this month. Portigliati entered the race on April 1 and will report his first fundraising numbers in mid-May.

As of Feb. 28, Francois had about $54,000 in the bank and Zhao had about $161,000, though his total includes $80,000 in candidate loans.