Jacob Ogles
Rep. Doug Bankson jumped two years ago from an Apopka City Commission seat to the House. After both parties invested heavily in the House District 39 race, the Republican won by double digits as his party overperformed statewide.
Can lawyer Marsha Summersill this November take him out in a district where a bare majority of voters supported Joe Biden in the last Presidential Election?
The incumbent says he is competing down to the wire.
“I’m in sprint mode now going nonstop until Tuesday night,” he said. “We are feeling optimistic but I’m not taking anything for granted and will be running through the finish line.”
Summersill has hit the trail hard as well. Speaking from an early voting location where she was trying to directly reach voters, she hopes to see independent voters swing her way in coming days.
“I’m a pragmatic person. I focus on policy,” she said. “We need to address the cost of living in Florida. I’m a native in this area and so people are familiar with me, and they understand I’m a moderate. I’m a Blue Dog Democrat. I’m focused on fiscal issues that are going to affect all of us.”
Bankson, for his part, has always been an outspoken conservative. He carried legislation this term in the House that would have prohibited transgender individuals from using their gender identity on carrying drivers’ licenses and other state documents, though Bankson insisted the bill wasn’t trying to target trans people.
Summersill said if she is elected, she will focus on needs of the district like sewage and potable water concerns in Apopka, and responsible growth management regulations on annexations. It’s those issues she said voters bring up with her on the campaign trail. And she personally has felt the impact of rising homeowners insurance premiums, evidencing that supposed fixes to the problem passed by Republican supermajorities in the Legislature have done little to help consumers.
The incumbent has raised nearly $128,000 for his re-election effort, compared to more than $33,000 raised by his Democratic challenger. And he said he’s working 10-hour days to get his message out as well.
He also has seen some help from the Republican Party of Florida, which has provided him $16,000 worth of in-kind staff support and covered polling worth around $22,000.
The Florida House Republican Campaign Committee also sent out a controversial mailer on his behalf, covered by the Apopka Voice. The direct mail ad slammed Summersill for taking a $13,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan during the pandemic, even though Victory Church World Outreach Center, where Bankson is lead pastor, took out $207,000 worth of loans from the same program.
Summersill hasn’t seen significant direct support from the Democratic Party.
Republicans hold a slim advantage in terms of voter registration in the Orange-Seminole seat. Based on book closings ahead of the General Election, HD 39 is home to about 42,500 Republicans, more than 40,300 Democrats and almost 36,800 voters with no party affiliation or who registered with minor parties.
