The Florida House isnt exactly friendly territory for female legislators, and plenty of them -- usually on the Democratic side -- will note that a woman has never led it as speaker. But there are plenty of women who have been moving up in the leadership ranks, including Marti Coley as speaker pro tempore last session and Dana Young who currently is the House majority leader.
First elected to the House in 2010, Young was part of the GOP leadership early on. Close to Will Weatherford, she rose with him, serving as deputy majority whip and then as GOP whip and deputy majority leader.
There were questions about whether Young would fade in significance with Weatherford out of the House. That didnt happen and she remains a rising force for the party. Now in her third term, she leads the GOP on the floor and has the potential to go even higher after she wins a fourth and final term.
Now 50, Young has the Legislature in her blood. Her grandfather W. Randolph Hodges served a decade in the Senate with stints as president pro tempore and president. Her uncle Gene Hodges served more than 15 years in the House.
Young has been a solid conservative during her time in Tallahassee. Shes generally been a staunch supporter of school choice and getting the government out of the way for businesses to flourish. A reflection of her Tampa district, Young has often focused on crime-fighting more than many of her fellow Republicans in the Legislature. A reliable conservative, Young is a good choice to build coalition in her caucus between North Florida conservatives and more moderate members from the southern part of the state.
Easily winning the primary and beating Democrat Stacy Frank in 2010, Young has not had to sweat defending her House seat. In the last two elections, Young did not even face opposition. She will be fine keeping this safe Republican seat in 2016.
The question is, where does Young go from here? When Richard Corcoran takes over the House in 2016, hes been well-advised to keep Young in the leadership. Shell also have future chances to run for office, though her path to the Florida Senate or to Congress seem cut off in the short run.
She has dabbled a bit on the national scene, being a favorite of GOPAC. Her name did get a little buzz as a possible replacement for Jennifer Carroll when Rick Scott was looking for a new lieutenant governor, but she never got much traction in that role.
With an easy path to a fourth term and a veto-proof majority in her caucus, Young is in her political prime. It will still be some time before theres a woman as speaker, but Young is easily one of the most powerful members of the Florida House and shes poised for a big session when the Legislature convenes in March.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis piece exclusively for Sunshine State News.
