Several races throughout Tampa Bay were of interest to LGBT voters, most notably the Pinellas County School Board District 7 race, featuring openly gay candidate Jim Jackson.
Jackson, who took 33% of the votes, will face retired school district administrator Lew Williams (39%) in the Nov. 2 general election. Jackson and his supporters gathered at Georgie’s Alibi in St. Petersburg on election night to celebrate the next phase of his campaign. Since no candidate took 50% of the vote, state law dictates the run-off.
“Now we’ll have the opportunity to talk about the message…and the differences,” said Jackson, who is a retired psychology professor.
He and Williams edged out Keisha Bell, who took only 27% of the vote.
Another Pinellas County race of interest is the Pinellas County Commission District 4 seat. Republican incumbent Susan Latvala easily took the party’s nomination after beating challengers Beverley Billiris and Carl Folkman. But the win pits the LGBT-friendly Republican against Democratic challenger and LGBT advocate Bob Hackworth in the Nov. 2 general election.
From the beginning of his campaign, Hackworth, the former mayor of Dunedin, has attacked Latvala’s “failed leadership” and seems focused on capturing independents and Republicans who voted against her in the primary.
On the Hillsborough side, voters decided against giving Brian Blair access to another elected position. The former Hillsborough County Commissioner who was defeated by Kevin Beckner in 2008 lost his bid for the Dist. 47 State House seat when attorney James Grant took 37% of the vote in the Republican primary. Grant, 27, will face Democrat and LGBT advocate Michael Steinberg.
In all portions of Tampa Bay, Democrat U.S. House Dist. 11 incumbent Kathy Castor—who is a longtime supporter of Tampa Bay’s LGBT organizations—easily sailed through the primary and will now face Republican challenger Tony Buntyn, who has not made any public declaration concerning LGBT rights.
