Ashley Brundage nabs Democratic nod in HD 65, would be state’s first trans woman to hold elected office

In House Districts 65 and 67 in Hillsborough County, Ashley Brundage and Rico Smith have earned their party’s nominations for races where long odds are ahead in the General Election.

Brundage blew Nathan Kuipers out of the water in the Democratic Primary for HD 65, with 81% of the vote. She will next head to the General Election, where she faces incumbent Republican Karen Pittman Gonzalez.

And in the GOP Primary for HD 67, Smith edged out Lisette Bonano, with 57% of the vote. He will go on to face incumbent Democrat Fentrice Driskell in the Nov. 5 General Election.

Both victors face long odds, including disadvantages in both voter registration and campaign finance.

Brundage is the founder, President and CEO of Empowering Differences, an organization that seeks to build leadership skills through embracing differences and cultivating unique skills. It’s an apt mission — Brundage would be the state’s first transgender woman to hold elected office.

She has support from Ruth’s List Florida and was the first transgender candidate the group has ever backed, a nod to changing times and a growing push — at least in Democratic politics — to foster inclusivity at all ranks of leadership. Ruth’s List CEO Christina Diamond praised Brundage for her “courage to lead and mentor.” Equality Florida, the state’s premier LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, has also backed Brundage.

She had a huge cash advantage in the Primary, with nearly $61,000 raised as of Aug. 2. Kuipers, meanwhile, had raised less than $17,000 and was in the red, with more than $20,000 spent.

Moving into the General Election, Brundage faces a huge cash deficit. While she retains about $20,000, Pittman has raised more than $212,000 to her campaign this cycle and has about $160,000 of that still on hand.

And voter registration numbers are also not Brundage’s friend. Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district with 44,584 voters to just 34,789 Democrats.

In HD 67, Smith faces even longer odds.

Smith outraised his Primary opponent with nearly $34,000 raised, while she raised just over $12,000. But he enters the General Election cycle with just about $8,000 left on hand. That’s dwarfed by Driskell’s massive cash advantage, with about $50,000 still on hand as of Aug. 2.

And Smith will also face a voter registration disadvantage, with more than 32,000 Democrats to just over 23,000 Republicans.

There’s also name recognition to consider in the General, with Driskell currently serving as House Democratic Leader, a role that gives her plenty of earned media in the district and abroad.

Smith does have experience running for office, though. He had been filed to run for Hillsborough County Commission but dropped out of that race after consulting with GOP leaders in Tallahassee and deciding to avoid a crowded Primary, telling the Tampa Bay Times “we have to stop the cannibalism against other good candidates.”

An engineer, Smith is an Air Force veteran and, before this cycle, had never sought elected office before. He earned the Times recommendation in the GOP Primary for HD 67, but with a pretty strong caveat.

“Republican voters have two weak choices in this primary to challenge the incumbent,” the editorial board wrote. They criticized Bonano for not having “a relevant agenda to advance for the residents of this district,” and said Smith was “marginally more informed.”