While Osceola County primary election ballots are dominated by candidates who will serve locally, voters will also be choosing who, in their political party, will reach the general election for the right to go on to the State Capitol in Tallahassee — or to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Those are all-important choices that will be made this month.
Following a round of redistricting, Osceola County is represented by four state House of Representatives districts. The largest is District 35, which covers much of eastern Osceola County that incumbent Republican Fred Hawkins represents now. It includes areas of Osceola east and south of St. Cloud city limits, Narcoossee, part of Lake Nona and eastern Orange County up into Avalon Park, Bithlo and Christmas.
Hawkins (www.hawkins4 orida.com), endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis via Twitter, spent three terms on the Osceola County Commission before being elected to a House seat in 2020 in a district that included eastern Polk County. But this new district leans slightly to the ‘blue’ side.
His Republican challengers include: Ken Davenport of Orlando (www.votedavenport.com), a former real estate agent and loan originator, now a flight attendant, and Diana Liebnitzky of St. Cloud (www.diannah35.com), a state-level health care professional.
Democrats running are: Rishi Bagga of east Orlando (rishibagga.com), small business owner and a former Assistant State Attorney; Tom Keen of Lake Nona (www.keenfor.com), a former Naval Flight Officer and current businessman in the aerospace training and simulation industry; Tahitiana Chaffin of St. Cloud (www.tahitianachaffin.com).
District 46 is mostly the same as old District 43, which includes Kissimmee on the west sides of Lake Tohopekaliga, Poinciana and neighborhoods along John Young Parkway and Poinciana Boulevard in Osceola County. Incumbent Kristen Arrington (www.arrington4orida.com) is running for another term.
Her opponents are Republican Christian De La Torre (www. delatorrefl46.com), a Kissimmee paramedic and EMT teaching professional; and Kissimmee’s Ivan Rivera, a medical professional running with no party affiliation.
District 47, a newly-drawn district, covers the eastern parts of Kissimmee, Buenaventura Lakes, Boggy Creek Road neighborhoods and the St. Cloud city limits. Paula Stark, the Republican leader of the St. Cloud Main Street committee, awaits the primary winner among three Democrats:
Horng “Andrew” Jeng (andrewjeng.com), a Kissimmee technology business owner and past candidate for local races;
Dan Marquith (www. danmarquith.com), a retired deputy sheriff, including two decades in Osceola County and non-profit executive who has also served as an advisor in Congressman Daniel Soto’s office, who resides in St. Cloud;
Anthony Nieves (nievesforflorida.com), a Kissimmee community, civil rights and union activist.
District 45, which will represent the Celebration and Champions Gate areas along with southwestern Orange County, will find Republicans Carolina Amesty, Vennia Francois, Janet Frevola, Bruno Portigliatti and Mike Zhao running in the primary, in order to face unopposed Democrat Allie Braswell in November.
Democrat Darren Soto represents Osceola County in the U.S. House of Representatives, and four Republicans are squaring off, with the survivor to face him in November. The primary candidates are:
Jose Castillo (joseforflorida.com), a Davenport hospitality management professional who’s spent a decade with Walt Disney World;
Scotty Moore (scotty mooreforcongress.com), an Orlando Christian nonprofit professional and former missionary;
Adianis Morales (moralesforcongress.com), an associate pastor at Nación de Fe in Kissimmee and the lone lady in the race;
Sergio Ortiz (ortiz forcongress.com), a Kissimmee activist and past real estate and mortgage professional.
In a glance at the November ballot, incumbent State Sen. Victor Torres will go against Republican challenger Peter Vivaldi for the Senate district 25 — it’s a rematch from their 2018 race. The U.S. Senate race, for the seat currently held by Republican Marco Rubio, a St. Cloud Libertarian Party candidate, Dennis Misigoy, will appear on the ballot.
The News-Gazette will profile all the November races later this fall.
