Jacob Ogles
It looks like Rep. Doug Bankson will return to the House for a second term. The Apopka Republican beat Democratic challenger Marsha Summersill to keep his House District 39 in GOP control.
Bankson is winning almost 52.9% of the vote, with nearly all Seminole County votes and 27 of 28 Orange County precincts reporting.
The incumbent said he was always competing as if the race was down to the wire.
“We are feeling optimistic but I’m not taking anything for granted and will be running through the finish line,” Bankson said ahead of the election.
Summersill, a lawyer, hit the trail hard as well. She said she hoped to see independent voters swing her way in the final days of the race.
“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 was elected, her focus would be 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 brought up with her on the campaign trail. And she personally 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 raised nearly $128,000 for his re-election effort, compared to more than $33,000 raised by his Democratic challenger.
He also saw 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 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 held 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.
