Janelle Irwin Taylor
Sen. Ed Hooper notched a big victory over his GOP Primary challenger Tuesday, securing 84% of the vote in Pasco County, which houses most of Senate District 21, and 86% in the Pinellas County portion of the district.
Hooper drew a challenger this year for re-election to his seat, which he has represented since being elected in 2018. He’s also in line to be the next Chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, an assignment that signals strength in the upper chamber, and allies in power.
Hooper faced John Siamas in Tuesday’s Primary. Siamas hadn’t raised a dime. Instead, he has self-financed his race with close to $80,000, nearly $65,000 of which he had spent as of Aug. 15, according to the most recent campaign finance records publicly available.
Hooper, meanwhile, raised nearly $218,000, and as of Aug. 15 had nearly $1.5 million left in his Friends of Ed Hooper political committee, which from Aug. 8-15 alone brought in more than $51,000. In fact, since early February, when Siamas entered the race, Hooper’s committee collected nearly $2 million.
While defeating any incumbent is a challenge, doing so against an incumbent who has proven popular in his district, and one with a sizable cash advantage, is particularly difficult.
And Hooper didn’t appear concerned. His website is bare bones, and it includes a countdown to Election Day, except that countdown is for the General Election, not the Primary.
Earlier this year, Hooper ranked at No. 10 on Florida Politics’ list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians, a list derived from votes among the top political operatives and insiders in the region and state.
Hooper introduced 20 bills in the 2024 Legislative Session, and co-introduced another 16. Of those, more than a dozen were successful.
Hooper, a retired firefighter, often champions legislation benefiting first responders. This year was no different.
He sponsored a successful measure honoring the 80th anniversary of the Florida Professional Firefighters Association, which cleared with bipartisan support and without much fanfare.
Hooper also successfully ushered through legislation (SB 718) establishing a new felony for anyone age 18 or older who “in the course of unlawfully possessing dangerous fentanyl or fentanyl analogs, recklessly exposes a first responder” to the drug and it results in “an overdose or serious bodily injury.”
He successfully sponsored another measure (SB 184) establishing a misdemeanor against anyone who impedes, threatens or harasses a first responder.
Public safety, in general, has been a top Hooper priority, as evidenced by Hooper’s co-sponsorship of “Victoria’s Law.” It establishes “Revive Awareness Day” authorizing the Governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging the Department of Health to raise awareness of the dangers of opioid use and overdose. Hooper sponsored the legislation with Sen. Jason Brodeur.
Prior to his service in the Senate, Hooper served four terms in the lower chamber, making him one of the most senior members in the Legislature.
Hooper next faces Democrat Doris Carroll in the General Election, though Tuesday’s Primary is likely to be the final decider. The district is heavily Republican, with nearly 41% of voters registered to the Republican Party, compared to just 27% to the Democratic Party, according to the most recent L2 voter data.
And Carroll hasn’t raised much, with just under $4,400 brought in as of Aug. 15 and, of that, less than half remaining.
