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Jackie Toledo defeats Rebecca Smith in Florida House District 60

 
Jackie Toledo, Republican candidate for Florida House District 60
Jackie Toledo, Republican candidate for Florida House District 60
Published Aug. 31, 2016

TAMPA — Out-raised more than 2-to-1 and facing a business leader with a roster of big-name supporters, civil engineer Jackie Toledo eked out a narrow win Tuesday over Rebecca Smith in the Republican primary to replace outgoing House Majority Leader Dana Young.

With all 51 precincts counted, Toledo defeated Smith by nearly 1.8 percent.

"Hard work (and) going door to door really made a big difference," Toledo said from an election-night party at South Tampa's Piquant restaurant. Her campaign went to homes of targeted primary voters two and three times, she said. "I attribute it to my team. They really, really stepped up."

It also, she said, was a campaign focused on issues, as well as one that was a testament to the idea "that you do not have to go negative to win."

Toledo, 40, campaigned on a promise to repeal Republican-backed 2014 laws allowing children of illegal immigrants to get in-state tuition at public universities and to get licenses to practice law. She also called for the repeal of Florida's 6 percent sales tax on commercial leases and the national Common Core educational standards.

A first-time candidate, Smith campaigned on her business experience as the founder of the A.D. Morgan Corp. construction company and her service on Tampa's Variance Review Board and the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, both of which she chaired.

Along the way, Smith, 56, raised $369,000, $165,500 of which came from her own money. By comparison, Toledo raised a total of about $170,000.

Smith also picked up endorsements from many GOP establishment leaders, including Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, former Gov. Bob Martinez, former Speaker of the House Will Weatherford, Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee and former mayors Dick Greco of Tampa and Rick Baker of St. Petersburg.

District 60 covers the South Tampa peninsula, plus Dana Shores, Davis Islands, Harbour Island, Palmetto Beach, Palm River-Clair Mel, Apollo Beach and parts of Ruskin west of U.S. 41.

Toledo will face Democrat David Singer, an attorney, on Nov. 8. The winner of the general election will replace Young, who is leaving the seat to run in the newly created state Senate District 18.

Contact Richard Danielson at (813) 226-3403 or rdanielson@tampabay.com. Follow @Danielson_Times