Jacob Ogles
Rep. Keith Truenow has secured the Republican nomination in Senate District 13. He defeated grocery store mogul Bowen Kou and investigator C.J. Blancett.
Unofficial final results show Truenow won nearly 67% of the vote to Kou’s 24%, with about 9% going to Blancett. That was based largely on his strong performance in Lake County, but he was also leading in Orange County.
“Thank you to EVERYONE who made this journey possible!” the Tavares Republican posted on X. “Team Truenow is moving on to November!”
The Republican nominee now must face Democrat Stephanie Dukes in the General Election. Even after the bruising Republican Primary, he goes into that race a heavy favorite. The winner of the November contest will succeed Sen. Dennis Baxley.
“I want to congratulate Tom Leek, Keith Truenow, Randy Fine and Ed Hooper on their decisive Primary wins,” said Senate President-designate Ben Albritton. “Candidates matter, and these gentlemen have proven records of delivering for the folks they serve.”
Albritton added: “With tonight’s results, we are eager to begin contrasting the Republican record of delivering for hardworking Florida families with that of our Democrat opponents who remain out of touch and far too extreme. Under the Republican majority, working with our Governor, we have made Florida a model for the nation, from universal school choice to keeping our communities safe, our taxes low, and defending freedom. That is at stake this November, and we look forward to making our case.”
Both Kou and Truenow spent hundreds of thousands of dollars pursuing the Republican nomination in Senate District 13.
Truenow, a sitting state Representative with two House terms under his belt, enjoyed support from Baxley and the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“It’s been an incredible campaign meeting thousands of voters across our district and representing my community in the House,” Truenow said. “I’m ready to take that experience to the Senate. The overwhelming support from Gov. (Ron) DeSantis, Sen. Baxley, Sheriff (Peyton) Grinnell, and our local community has been humbling. We’ve built a strong, hardworking team that has knocked on thousands of doors.”
But what seemed at first an anointment for the open Senate seat became complicated with the entry of Kou, a grocery store mogul who owns a national chain of international supermarkets and several restaurants.
The first-time candidate pumped some $1.2 million out of pocket into the race. The business owner focused his campaign message on addressing the rising price of living in Central Florida. Billboard ads around the region promoted “No Tolls Bowen,” advancing his proposal to slash tolls for Florida residents on expressways where the principal debt has already been paid off.
He also sold a personal story of a Chinese immigrant fleeing the persecution of Christians in his home country and becoming a self-made millionaire in his adopted nation.
“America, it’s not about what you look like, what language you speak or even your birthplace,” he said. “It is about ideas and what we believe.”
The race saw other jockeying, with former Clermont City Council member and DeSantis staffer Ebo Entsuah in the race for months. He dropped out in May after the FRSCC endorsement came down. But Blancett stayed in the race, running as a constitutional conservative.
“If elected, I vow to work individually, and collectively, to ensure governance throughout District 13 is conducted within the guidelines of the U.S. Constitution, and the Constitution of the Great State of Florida, So Help Me God,” she wrote on her website.
The race, at points, turned increasingly personal. The FRSCC stunned Kou with mailers that documented the extensive number of Chinese Americans from around the country donating to his campaign. The mailers raised the specter of money connected to the Chinese communist government and included a graphic showing dollar signs coming out of China on a map.
The attacks, which Kou found racist, prompted harassing phone calls to friends and business associates whom Kou had asked to support his campaign. He sued the political committee for defamation, with the complaint filed by attorney and Lake County Republican Party Chair Anthony Sabatini. Kou also conducted a brief hunger strike before the Lake County Courthouse to drive home the point.
Both leading candidates saw their business work called into question as well. News that a seafood store owned by Kou had been shut down in Missouri made it into Orlando Weekly; Kou said problems stemmed from a landlord’s lack of maintenance.
Meanwhile, Truenow has long touted his background as the founder of Lake Jem Farms in his qualification, but news of the company suffering two worker deaths in the last decade surfaced in the last weeks of the campaign. Truenow, who no longer owns the farm but maintains a business development position, said the sod farming and distribution operation was “incredibly dangerous work” but that the farm remained committed to safety.
The campaign bills for the race steadily grew. Kou spent almost $1.2 million on the race through Aug. 15. He also started the Restore American Dreams Committee, which spent another nearly $55,000 through the last reporting period.
Truenow’s official campaign account spent about $421,000 through the last period. However, his three-year-old Growing Florida’s Leadership committee spent more than $769,000 this year through the Aug. 2 period. And none of that includes support from the FRSCC or other entities.
Blancett spent a far less extravagant $4,600 on her campaign.
The coming General Elected with Dukes is expected to be lopsided. In 2022, Baxley won more than 62% against Dukes in the bright red district. The same day, Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and DeSantis won re-election by similar margins.
