Ron Saunders Loves Tampa Bay Republicans

Janet Cruz is the newest member of the Florida House of Representatives after defeating Republican candidate Hunter Chamberlin in a special election held on Tuesday, February 23. The District 58 House seat, covering part of Hillsborough County, has been vacant ever since Mike Scionti left to take a position in the Obama administration. Cruz was expected to win easily and she did.

Incoming House Minority Leader state Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West, was at Cruzs victory party last night and had some interesting comments. Saunders praised Cruz and stressed that he would try to get her a seat on the Appropriations Committee.

Saunders also singled out some of the Democrats running for House seats in the Tampa Bay area, particularly Stacy Frank. But then Saunders went out of his way to praise a number of Republican state House members in the area, including state Rep. Kevin Ambler who is running for the District 12 State Senate seat and state Rep. Faye Culp and state Rep. Ed Homan who are both term limited after this year. Culp had once been the Republican Whip in the House. No word yet from the Pasco and Hillsborough County Democrats or from longtime Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman, who is taking on Ambler in the GOP primary, on Saunders kind words for his foe.