By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Ross
Republican Dennis Ross and Democrat Lori Edwards appear to have handily won their primary contests Tuesday night for U.S. House District 12.
They'll next face tea party candidate Randy Wilkinson in the general election Nov. 2.
The District 12 seat, vacated by Republican Adam Putnam as he runs for Florida agriculture commissioner, includes Polk, Hillsborough and Osceola counties and pays $174,000 annually.
Ross, 50, a lawyer from Lakeland, served in the Florida House from 2000 until 2008, when he reached his term limit. He previously served as chairman of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee from 1992 to 1995.
"We're gratified. We knew that there was a strong base of conservative voters out there that was looking for leadership," Ross said.
With most of the vote counted, and by more than a 2-to-1 margin, Ross beat John W. Lindsey Jr., 49, of Winter Haven who had no political experience but held positions at environmental regulation companies.
On the Democrat side, Edwards, Polk County supervisor of elections, beat retired Navy master chief Doug Tudor, 47, of Riverview by about a 3-to-1 margin.
Edwards, 53, represented eastern Polk County in the state House from 1992 until 2000, when she became supervisor of elections.
Tudor, a program manager for a defense contractor, ran for this seat in 2008 and lost to incumbent Putnam.
The general election will pit Ross and Edwards against Wilkinson, a Polk County commissioner.
Kim Wilmath can be reached at (813)661-2442 or kwilmath@sptimes.com.