Familiar faces are starting to re-emerge in the Republican primary as U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., plans to run for a 13th term in Congress.
Glo Smith, a Republican activist who worked as an aide to both Gov. Rick Scott and former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who twice ran and lost against Brown, filed to run with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in 2016.
Smith was the Republican nominee against Brown in last Novembers elections. While 2014 proved to be a good year for the GOP at the state and national levels, Brown routed Smith at the ballot box, beating her by 53,000 votes and taking 65.5 percent of the vote, well ahead of Smiths 34.5 percent.
Another Republican hopeful from the last election cycle could also be in the mix for 2016. Last week, the East Orlando Post reported that businesswoman Thuy Twee Lowe will run again.
Lowe challenged Smith in the Republican primary back in August. Smith took 63 percent of the vote, beating Lowe by 4,500 votes.
Meandering across parts of North Florida, Browns district, which includes parts of Alachua, Clay, Duval, Lake, Marion, Orange, Putnam and Seminole counties, is heavily Democratic and has been accused of being the result of gerrymandering. Brown was one of the few prominent Democrats who worked with the GOP-controlled Legislature against the Fair District amendments back in 2010 and the Republican legislators have been more than happy to crowd as many Democrats into her district and out of GOP-leaning ones in the northern part of the state.
Browns district is secure for the Democrats with voters from that party making up 60 percent of the district last year. Only 19 percent of voters in the district were registered as Republicans last year.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
