Republican voters declared they want to send former Senate President Tom Lee back to Tallahassee, opting for the longtime legislator in an ugly contest against Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Riverview.
Lee drew support in the new District 24 contest from Senate President-designate Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, and the two senators contending for the 2016 presidency, Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.
Burgin, a conservative Christian first elected in 2008, received support from a Tallahassee-based electioneering group, The American People Committee, which was linked to Tallahassee lobbyist Jack Cory and tried to tie Lee to Hillsborough Countys troubled property appraiser and to marital infidelity.
The mailer, which Burgin has claimed no knowledge of, drew a sharp rebuke from Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry, as well as from Gaetz, Gardiner, Latvala and Negron.
Lee, who served as Senate president in 2004-2005 before running for Florida's chief financial officerpost in 2006, will now take on Democrat Elizabeth Belcher of Seffner and a write-in candidate in November.
Belcher, a retired law enforcement officer, has raised just $8,905 in the Republican-leaning district.
Besides the outside support, Burgin spent $129,582 of the $141,678 she had raised as of Friday.
Lee, of Brandon, heads to the general election with more than $100,000 remaining from the $333,825 he had raised.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
