Jacob Ogles
Republican leaders in the Senate are rallying around Sen. Ed Hooper’s re-election bid in Senate District 21.
The Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee announced high-ranking members were endorsing the incumbent. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, Senate President-designate Ben Albritton and Sens. Jim Boyd and Jay Trumbull all issued a joint statement praising the Clearwater incumbent.
“For four decades, Ed Hooper put his own safety at risk as a firefighter paramedic to ensure his neighbors were safe and secure. As a member of the Florida Senate, Ed has worked to ensure the hard working people of his district have a voice in Tallahassee, demanding the same quality of life and access to opportunity he’s always valued,” the joint statement reads.
“We’re proud to endorse Ed Hooper because Floridians deserve leaders who’ve stood in their boots and worked on behalf of their families.”
Hooper first won election to the Senate in 2018. Redistricting meant he won election to just a two-year term in 2022, and he’s now running for a final four-year term in the Senate before being termed out.
He currently faces a GOP Primary Election challenge from Oldsmar Republican John Siamis, who did not report any fundraising in the first quarter after filing in February, and received a letter threatening fines for failure to report activity.
Democrat Doris Carroll also filed and did submit a report, but it showed she raised no money.
That makes the incumbent a heavy favorite for re-election right now, having collected more than $173,000 in his campaign account alone. He also had nearly $1.7 million available in the Friends of Ed Hooper political committee as of the end of March.
Hooper won re-election in 2022 easily, taking more than 65% of the vote over Democrat Amero Lionheart.
But the political arm for Republicans issued an endorsement ahead of a June 14 qualification deadline.
