Andrew Warren one step closer to taking his State Attorney job back

Image via Andrew Warren.

Hillsborough Democrats are ready for Andrew Warren to return as State Attorney.

Warren beat his Primary challenger, Elizabeth Martinez Strauss, with more than 70% of the vote on Tuesday. His campaign declared victory 25 minutes after polls closed.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport, and I congratulate Ms. Strauss for throwing her hat into the ring,” Warren wrote in a statement. “My focus remains where it always has been: getting back in office so we can reverse the alarming increase in crime that’s happened under my illegally appointed successor. To do that, we need a true leader committed to serving this community, not the Governor’s political agenda.”

Facing his replacement in November may not be so easy.

Strauss, a criminal defense lawyer, had called Warren a “risky candidate,” claiming that Gov. Ron DeSantis could remove him from office again if he beats Suzy Lopez in November. She filed a complaint against Warren with the state elections commission in July, saying he falsely accused her of “dishonest, negative attacks.”

Warren had outraised Strauss $314,000 to $32,000. But he’s got a long way to go to try and match Lopez’s war chest. Warren had about $254,000 left in campaign funds and $60,000 in his affiliated political committee, Safer Stronger Florida, as of Aug. 15. Lopez is now at more than $875,000, including her affiliated political committee, Friends of Suzy Lopez.

Before DeSantis suspended and ultimately replaced him with Lopez in 2022, Warren was twice elected to serve as State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit in 2016 and 2020. 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.

Warren initially said he wouldn’t run again, but reversed that decision in April after an appeals court rebuffed the lower court ruling. DeSantis is now tasked with demonstrating how he would have suspended Warren for issues that didn’t violate his First Amendment rights. The lower court has yet to act, leaving Warren in limbo as he campaigns.

Lopez immediately rolled back some of Warren’s reforms after her appointment, including his restrictions on “Biking While Black” policies. She has since expanded the office’s gun violence unit, charged a 14-year-old boy as an adult in a Ybor City shooting that killed two people and left 16 others injured, and focused on strengthening relationships with law enforcement.

She’s solidly backed by Florida’s GOP establishment, including U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Sheriff Chad Chronister.

Warren’s endorsements include many Tampa Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, state Rep. Susan Valdes, Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, former state Sen. Janet Cruz, Hillsborough County Public Defender Julianne Holt and several County Commissioners and School Board members.