Jacob Ogles
It looks like Sen. Debbie Mayfield’s time in the Legislature may not be winding down after all.
The Rockledge Republican won a Republican Primary for House District 32, defeating former U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon. That brings to a close a Republican Primary pitting two veteran elected officials against one another.
With all precincts reporting, Mayfield had 65% of the vote, with Weldon pulling in under 35%.
“Thank you to everyone who voted today in the 2024 Primary Election,” Mayfield posted on X.
Mayfield now faces Democrat Juan Hinojosa in a General Election matchup, but heads into Fall as a clear favorite to succeed term-limited Rep. Thad Altman.
Mayfield, a former Senate Republican Leader, could not seek re-election to the upper chamber this cycle because of term limits. In May, she filed instead for Altman’s seat and made clear her plans to return to the House, where she previously served from 2008 until 2016.
“Florida truly has become the firewall for extremist policies that are destroying security at the Southern border, driving inflation through the roof and stifling opportunity for hard working families,” she said.
She secured the early endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. That came after Mayfield, months after initially endorsing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, was among several Republicans to switch their support to Trump publicly at the Florida Freedom Summit in Orlando.
Weldon filed much earlier, in February 2023. He was also no stranger to the ballot. The medical doctor served in the U.S. House from 1994 to 2008. He also ran in 2012 for the U.S. Senate but lost the Republican nomination that year to Connie Mack.
He entered the race offering strong praise for DeSantis as Governor, and said he was eager to join the Republican Legislature.
“I will take a scalpel to waste and bloat in the state budget and always uphold our conservative values. Now more than ever, we need proven conservatives in state government to safeguard Florida families from the Radical Left’s extreme agenda,” he said.
Despite being in the race a shorter time, Mayfield raised the most money for the seat. Her official campaign spent nearly $189,000 on the race through Aug. 15. Additionally, the Mayfield-controlled Conservatives For Good Government spent about $324,000 following her Summer entry into the race.
But Weldon spent plenty as well. The last financial reports show he spent more than $97,000 from his official campaign, while the Friends of Dave Weldon committee spent another roughly $31,000 over the course of the race.
The district leans heavily Republican. More than 57% of voters in the district backed Trump over Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election, while nearly 64% supported DeSantis’ re-election in 2022.
