Jacob Ogles
Combat veteran Demetries Grimes is dropping out of a highly watched House race in Central Florida.
As Grimes departs the race to focus on other work, he’s endorsing Osceola School Board member Erika Booth, a previous opponent in the House District 35 Republican Primary.
“While it’s difficult to leave the race, I am convinced that, at this moment, my efforts and experience can be best applied in these other crucial areas,” he said. “I deeply appreciate the outpouring of support I have received throughout my campaign and hope you will join me in these new endeavors.”
Grimes said after a discussion with his family, he plans to focus on advocacy and personal projects instead of campaigning. The ex-congressional candidate was one of four Republicans running in House District 35, where a Special Election must be held to succeed former state Rep. Fred Hawkins.
Now, Grimes plans instead to advocate for policy. That includes backing research on high cancer rates among Navy aviators and crew for E-2 Hawkeye aircraft. U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, a Texas Republican, last year introduced legislation (HR 7524) in Congress pursuing funding, and Grimes wants to lobby for the measure at the federal level.
“As a former naval aviator myself, I’ve personally witnessed the harrowing health complications faced by many of my peers,” Grimes said. “I believe my efforts can make a significant difference if I commit to this important cause fully.”
Grimes has also been working on a screenplay about his deployment to Afghanistan and his engagement in legal operations with Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435. The play is titled “Court of War.”
“The experiences I had and the lessons I learned during my deployment are stories that need to be told,” Grimes said. “I hope that by sharing these narratives, we can better understand the complexities of war, the counterinsurgency effort, and the critical role of legal operations within it.”
Grimes had raised $83,570 toward a run in HD 35. That included a $40,000 candidate loan.
But now he is endorsing Booth, who raised over $75,000 in outside donations in her first month on the trail. Booth also has the support of the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee, the political arm for House Republicans.
Grimes called Booth “the strongest candidate remaining that can keep FL 35 from flipping to Blue.”
The race is expected to be a pivotal one this year. Hawkins left the seat to take over as the new President of South Florida State College. While Hawkins had won the seat in 2022 by 10 percentage points, most HD 35 voters in 2020 supported Democrat Joe Biden for President over Republican Donald Trump.
Former congressional candidate Scotty Moore and flight attendant Ken Davenport remain in the Republican Primary against Booth. Democrats Rishi Bagga and Tom Keen have also filed.
5 comments
Wayne Liebnitzky
July 12, 2023 at 10:59 am
That race is an interesting one as he leaves to pursue other endeavors. His statement about who he endorses is confusing as he does not know her very well but is the wife of a county commissioner. Perhaps the folks of Osceola county should let you know about the selection of candidates and who they are tied to. I’m not saying anything derogatory about Erica, I don’t do that but the financial arm she is tied too is another matter.
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Gregory Joseph Fournier
July 12, 2023 at 4:14 pm
Good article. I wish him success in his new endeavors.
Jim Trautz
July 13, 2023 at 12:52 pm
My thanks to Demetries for having the courage to run, and even more so for his service to our country. That said, I am somewhat baffled by his endorsement of Erika Booth.
In her campaign announcement she stated, “As I began my service on the school board, I have realized the issues facing educators, parents and our students cannot simply be solved locally…”
I’m curious what those issues are – how would she really know? She was JUST elected to the School Board and has only served 6 MONTHS! There is no track record to speak of, and six months is hardly enough time to measure what can and can’t be done – especially when you consider the limited opportunity to effect change. That’s not a knock on Erika, it’s just a simple fact.
I get it – she has political aspirations, she has ambition, and she has the opportunity to further her political career. And by all accounts, she seems to be doing the right things to get there (Get elected to the School Board, run for State office, etc.). Heck, for someone who wants to be a politician, I don’t blame her. After all, with her husband’s political connections in the region, coupled with established Republican arms like The Florida House Republican Campaign Committee backing her, she’ll be a formidable candidate (with or without a track record).
But what about the people of Osceola County who elected her to the School Board? What about the faith and trust they put in her to represent them? Where does that leave them?
I am always a bit concerned when I see newly elected people leave a position they were just elected to for another. In my opinion, people who are elected have a responsibility to the people who elected them to finish the job they were elected to do. But at the end of the day, what I personally think doesn’t really matter – what matters is how the voters see it.
We have a political process in place that allows anyone who wants to run to do so. Some seek to serve; some seek to effect change, and some see the process as a steppingstone for greater opportunity. Whatever the motivation, voters will see it, and the voters will decide.
…just my one cent (adjusted for inflation)
Wendy June Schmeling
July 15, 2023 at 11:03 pm
That was the respectable thing for Mr. Grimes to do.
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