Janelle Irwin Taylor
Ruth’s List Florida, a group that supports pro-choice Democratic women for office, is backing Patricia Alonzo in her race for District 2 on the Hillsborough County Commission.
Alonzo is mounting a long shot bid that likely pits her against incumbent Ken Hagan, a Republican who has served for more than two decades.
Ruth’s List backed Alonzo as part of a trio of endorsements, including Laura Kelley for House District 111 in Miami-Dade County and Anne Douglas for Orange County School Board. While Alonzo faces an uphill battle defeating a longtime incumbent with a funding advantage, the group sees a path to victory.
“Laura Kelley, Anne Douglas, and Patricia Alonzo are strong leaders in their communities,” Ruth’s List Florida CEO Christina Diamond said.
“They are talking to the voters, listening to their concerns, and are working hard to earn and turn out every last vote because they — like many Floridians — believe that our families deserve better. Better local investment in things like affordable housing and strengthened public schools, better access to affordable, quality healthcare, and better representation for everyday families like theirs at the local level and in Tallahassee. Laura, Anne, and Patricia stand with the majority of Florida voters on the need for women’s reproductive freedom, right to privacy, and access to healthcare — and Ruth’s List is so proud to be behind these three incredible women.”
The district is nearly evenly split between registered Democrats and Republicans, with Republicans holding about a 300-voter edge, 69,634 voters to 69,335. Another nearly 59,000 voters are registered with no party affiliation, according to data from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
Alonzo is the only Democrat in the race. Hagan faces a Primary challenge against fellow Republican Melissa Nordbeck. But she’s raised less than $12,000 compared to Hagan’s more than $208,000, making Hagan the heavy favorite to advance to the November General Election.
Alonzo works as a medical translator, including American Sign Language (ASL) and Spanish at Moffitt Cancer Center. She also previously served as an ASL teacher at Middleton High School and, most recently, was an executive at a tech startup using video and mobile technology to expand interpretation capabilities for hospitals and other organizations.
Alonzo continues to volunteer at Moffitt, as well as at Faces of Courage, Metropolitan Ministries and for the Women’s Build at Habitat for Humanity. She is working toward a doctorate degree at Nova Southeastern University. She would be the first Afro-Latina woman elected to the Hillsborough County Commission, if elected.
“I’m proud to be endorsed by Ruth’s List,” Alonzo said. “As a woman, as an Afro-Latina, and as a native Spanish speaker, I understand the importance of representation. If we want government responsive to the needs of the people, it must represent them. I’m running to flip control of the Hillsborough County Commission back to sane, compassionate, practical leaders. We’re going to achieve that goal together as a community.”
