Jacob Ogles
Andrew Warren wants his job back, but a late decision to run for State Attorney didn’t clear the Democratic field. Elizabeth Martinez Strauss, an experienced prosecutor, has qualified to run for State Attorney in Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit.
The experienced public defender and prosecutor told Florida Politics that she just wants to make sure Democrats offer a realistic alternative to Republican Suzy Lopez, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to the post in 2022 after suspending Warren.
“I got into this race because Warren was a risky candidate,” Strauss said, “and Warren is still a risky candidate.”
Strauss told a crowd at the Corner Club in Seminole Heights that she would not run if courts reinstated Warren before the qualification period ended to run for State Attorney, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
But Strauss told Florida Politics that she also made clear to Warren in a personal conversation that the noon deadline on April 26 was as long as she would wait. When it became clear that federal courts would not act to reinstate Warren quickly, she qualified for the office on April 25. She plans to stick in the race through the entire General Election cycle.
Warren announced earlier this month he would run for another term as State Attorney, a reversal after saying he wouldn’t run out of concern that DeSantis would just suspend him again. Warren’s change of heart came after a federal appeals court ruled that DeSantis violated Warren’s First Amendment rights when he suspended him and sent the case back to a lower court.
Since that time, Warren has participated in press calls hosted by the Florida Democratic Party, a sign that the state party intends to support him in the race.
But Strauss notes that the initial reason Warren planned to sit out remains.
“Voters should have a choice and they may want a State Attorney who can hold the job for more than 24 hours,” Strauss said.
Her chief goal remains defeating Lopez, a former Judge who was not elected to the post. But she said it’s now up to voters whether she or Warren faces Lopez in November.
“Let the chips fall where they may,” she said.
