Seven new candidates declare in Florida | Florida

Ballotpedia tracked seven new state-level candidates in Florida between Aug. 21 and Aug. 27. This was five fewer candidates than the prior week. 

Two of those candidates are Democrats and five are Republicans. The seven candidates are running for legislative offices in 2024.

Details on these candidates are below: 

• Joe Saunders (D) is running for Florida House of Representatives District 106. Saunders said, “… [I] will always fight to make a difference. … [I am] an active leader in the Miami Beach community where [I fight] for smart growth, protecting our tourism economy, and innovating toward transportation solutions. … [I am] running to return to the Florida State House to continue [my] fight for justice, prosperity, and safety in our community. …”
• Jay Shooster (D) is running for Florida House of Representatives District 91. Shooster said, “Tallahassee has become too extreme for the people it represents. From attacks on women’s rights and public education to neglecting the property insurance crisis, environmental protection, and common sense gun safety measures, it’s time for change. In my career as a lawyer, I’ve fought for the public interest in the courts. Now I’m fighting to champion Palm Beach County.”
• Anthony Aguirre (R) is running for Florida House of Representatives District 94. Aguirre said, “A political outsider, [I am] running for office for the first time. [I] was raised in Western Palm Beach County. After graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in economics, [I] partnered with [my] father, a physician, to create a managed care company. [I have] also worked as a consultant for Medtronic and hospitalist medicine management companies in Palm Beach County.”
• Darryl Boyer (R) is running for Florida House of Representatives District 19. Boyer said, “[I am] a principled conservative and lifelong Republican. [I’m] committed to protecting Floridians from the inadequate leadership in our White House, keeping taxes low, supporting law enforcement, and defending our Constitutional Rights.”
• Stephen Shive (R) is running for Florida House of Representatives District 27. Shives said, “We are under attack from every level of society for holding to conservative values. The same values that made us the greatest nation in the world. As your State Representative, I vow to you that I will wage war against the woke left extremism! These issues will not correct themselves without a solid conservative voice! I am that voice!”

Since the beginning of the year, Ballotpedia has identified 60 candidates for state-level office in Florida. Five hundred and eighty-five candidates ran for state-level office in Florida in 2022, while 520 ran in 2020. In 2022, 238 were Democratic, while 276 were Republican. In 2020, 266 were Democratic and 194 were Republican. Nationally, Ballotpedia has tracked 659 Democrats and 819 Republicans running for state-level office in 2023, and 131 Democrats and 177 Republicans running in 2024. 

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