HD 22 candidate Robert Woody tops $50K in March

Cash is flowing in the race to succeed term-limited Rep. Chuck Clemons in House District 22.

Republican Robert Woody announced that he reeled in more than $50,000 through his campaign and political committee in what is shaping up to be a competitive Republican Primary for the North Central Florida seat.

In a news release, Woody’s campaign also touted endorsements from Sen. Keith Perry, former House Speaker Larry Cretul, and former Alachua County School Board Member Mildred Russell, who was appointed to that post by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“With the strong backing of our community, I will stand with Governor DeSantis and our Republican Legislature to deliver conservative victories and keep Florida free,” he said, detailing his conservative campaign platform.

“It is more important than ever that we unwaveringly support our law enforcement and first responders, invest in our local infrastructure, and protect our kids and grandkids from woke indoctrination in the classroom.”

Woody is competing against fellow Republican Raemi Eagle-Glenn, who briefly served on the Alachua County Commission after receiving a DeSantis appointment.

Woody has also earned a DeSantis appointment. The Governor named him to the 8th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission in 2019 and reappointed him to the Santa Fe College District board of trustees in 2021. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the board.

A Gainesville resident, Woody’s primary career was in law enforcement. He is a former Deputy Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and former director of the Alachua County Jail. He also worked as Director of Community Relations for the Gainesville Police Department.

Eagle-Glenn reported raising $26,253 in February. Her March numbers had not been posted on the Florida Division of Elections website as of Monday evening. Likewise, Woody did not report any contributions in his February fundraising report. Woody entered the race one day after Eagle-Glenn announced her candidacy.

HD 22 covers all of Gilchrist and Levy alongside a slice of Alachua County that includes tranches of reliably Republican voters in the Gainesville suburbs.

While theoretically competitive, the district is further to the right than the one it replaced following reapportionment — it went for Donald Trump at the top of the ticket in 2020 by a slight margin, whereas the old district went for Joe Biden by about 2 points.

Clemons easily won election in the new district last year, and the winner of the Republican nominating contest would head into November 2024 as his presumptive successor.