Paul Renner endorses Bobby Payne

Speaker-designate Paul Renner wants Rep. Bobby Payne back in Tallahassee next Session. The Palm Coast Republican is endorsing the Palatka Republican for re-election.

“Rep. Bobby Payne will help lead our conservative vision to protect our freedoms and create more opportunities for Floridians to succeed,” Renner said. “Bobby has proven he will always stand up for Florida’s families and small businesses, and I am honored to call him a friend and ally in the fight to work alongside the Legislature and Gov. (Ron) DeSantis to preserve our conservative values.”

First elected in 2016, Payne is running for his last term before term limits prohibit another run. He chaired the House Ways & Means Committee for the previous two years.

He embraced the support of the incoming presiding officer for the Florida House. Notably, Renner also chairs the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee, suggesting material support for Payne’s re-election if necessary.

“I am committed to putting Florida first,” Payne said. “I am committed to fighting for our conservative values and will work alongside Speaker-designate Renner and Gov. Ron DeSantis to keep taxes low, grow our economy, and be a leader for the small towns and rural communities I have had the honor to represent.”

He’s running for re-election in House District 20, which under a new legislative map approved this year, leans heavily Republican. About 71.3% of voters there favored Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election, with just 27.57% voting for Democrat Joe Biden.

The new district lines change from the House District 19 that Payne represented in his first three terms, shedding all territory west of the Clay-Alachua County line and absorbing portions of north Marion County including Fort McCoy and parts of St. Johns County to the east, including Elkton and Hastings.

The only opposition Renner faces is in a Primary with St. Augustine Republican Luis Miguel, who is running a pro-Trump, anti-establishment platform. The Primary will be on Aug. 23.