Daisy Morales calls Rita Harris ‘ineffective’ in HD 44 rematch

Former Rep. Daisy Morales is attacking her opponent, incumbent Rep. Rita Harris, calling Harris “ineffective” as the two Democrats go head-to-head again for the House District 44 seat in the August Primary.

“She has delivered a pile of dead bills each Legislative Session. Zero bills passed,” Morales said in a press release.

Harris’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

HD 44 represents Orange County including Lake Nona, the Orlando International Airport as well as the SeaWorld and Universal theme parks.

Morales was first elected to the House in 2020.

However, when she ran for re-election in 2022, she didn’t have the support of some fellow Democrats. Some voiced concerns about her track record in Tallahassee of siding with Republicans on some legislation, and about her campaign finances, the Orlando Sentinel reported at the time.

It was Harris who won the backing of Democrats, including Sen. Victor Torres, gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist and other progressive groups, to unseat the then-incumbent Morales.

The Orlando Sentinel reported in 2022 that Harris had hundreds of people donating to her campaign, significantly more than Morales.

Morales plans to self-fund her campaign with $50,000, the press release said Tuesday. Both candidates have qualified to be on the ballot in August.

In making her case to voters, Morales presented herself as the underdog with a long history of public service.

“The former State Representative and former Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor has a eight year history of defeating her Democrat and Republican opponents who gathered more donors and endorsements,” her campaign said. “Daisy Morales is an old name that has been cemented in Orange County politics. In this race name recognition and community engagement matters, especially to Hispanic voters.”

Morales added, “I am running for State Representative because of my love for public service. I’ve spent over 30 years of my life working for the people at the local, state, and federal levels. I’m simply a dedicated public servant committed to making the government work for all people in District 44.”