Janelle Irwin Taylor
Former State Attorney Andrew Warren is rolling out 11 new endorsements in his race for Hillsborough County State Attorney, a job he’s running to reclaim after being ousted by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The list includes current and former elected officials and community leaders from the Legislature to local government.
“I’m incredibly honored to have the support of so many distinguished public servants. They know I’ll reverse the alarming increase in crime over the past two years and make Hillsborough safer — just as I did before,” Warren said.
The endorsers include former Florida Education Commissioner Betty Castor; former Hillsborough County Clerk of Court Pat Frank; former Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller; former State Attorney E.J. Salcines; former State Attorney Rod Smith; state Reps. Dianne Hart and Susan Valdés; and former state Reps. Ben Diamond, Adam Hattersley, Ed Narain and Sean Shaw.
The endorsements come after Warren reported his most recent round of fundraising, which exceeded $210,000 in just 45 days since announcing his campaign. It also follows nods from others, including U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor — Betty Castor’s daughter — Hillsborough County Commissioners Harry Cohen, Pat Kemp and Gwen Myers, Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, Public Defender Julianne Holt and Clerk of Courts Cindy Stuart.
Warren, who was twice elected to the seat in 2016 and 2020, was suspended and ultimately removed from office by DeSantis in 2022. DeSantis cited Warren’s pledge not to prosecute abortion-related crimes after Roe v. Wade was overturned, among other administrative priorities within his office at the time.
Warren sued to get his job back. After a series of cases, which included a Judge finding that DeSantis had violated the Florida Constitution and Warren’s First Amendment rights, Warren wasn’t ultimately granted a reprieve from his removal. The Judge declined to restore Warren to his post, citing the 11th Amendment to the Constitution limiting federal autonomy over states.
That prompted Warren to initially say he wouldn’t seek re-election. But he reversed that decision in April after an appeals court rebuffed the lower court ruling, remanding the case back and tasking DeSantis with demonstrating how he would have suspended Warren for issues that didn’t violate Warren’s First Amendment rights. The lower court has yet to act, leaving Warren in limbo as he campaigns.
Warren’s campaign raised nearly $190,000 from the time he announced his election through the end of May, and another nearly $19,000 to his affiliated political committee, Safer Stronger Florida, during the same time frame. Between the two accounts he maintains more than $190,000 on hand.
But he’s facing a challenging road to victory, including a Democratic Primary challenge from Elizabeth Martinez Strauss and, if victorious, a General Election matchup against Republican Suzy Lopez, the current State Attorney DeSantis appointed after suspending Warren.
Lopez has more than $440,000 on hand between her campaign account and affiliated political committee.
The county has changed much since Warren was last elected in 2020, with Republicans dominating races up and down the ballot in 2022, including unseating two County Commissioners and regaining a majority on the dais.
And Lopez has an impressive list of supporters, including U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, the state Police Benevolent Association and local chapters in Tampa, St. Pete (Suncoast) and West Central Florida, and Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.
3 comments
Billy Renfroe
June 12, 2024 at 5:56 pm
I get a kick out of the way “journalist” create a headline to make an impression on the readers, then bury the crux of the story in the middle. You made it look like Warren was an overwhelming favorite with all his endorsements. But eventually its revealed most of them are FORMER pols meaning their relevancy is minimal. Then you finally get to the fact that Lopez has current and recognizable endorsements and more than double the on-hand money. But I admire the effort to support your candidate.
Bill Pollard
June 12, 2024 at 6:38 pm
While my endorsement means nothing or next to nothing, I strongly endorse Andrew Warren in his quest to regain his old position. He committed no offense for our Governor to dismiss him.
tom palmer
June 13, 2024 at 3:54 pm
Well, actually the people who endorsed him comprise a list of some big names in local and state politics–including people who served as State Attorney for most of the past 50 years or so. His opponent’s endorsement was limited to the local police union and the ag commissioner.