After several days of insider talk and speculation, Republican Rico Smith, previously a candidate for a Hillsborough countywide commissioner’s seat, has announced he will leave that race and challenge state Rep. Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa.
The move will give Driskell, a rising Democratic star and leader of the Democratic state House caucus, a potentially significant opponent.
Challenging a legislative party leader is an aggressive move in Florida politics. Smith, who made the move after conferring with Republicans in Tallahassee, said he believes he’ll have the financial backing to mount a serious race.
Also, the switch will leave two Republicans, Jim Davison and Christine Miller, running for the commission seat, the only countywide seat on the 2024 ballot, possibly making that GOP primary less contentious.
The county seat is currently held by term-limited Democrat Pat Kemp. Former Democratic Commissioner Mariella Smith had planned to run, and Democrats were counting on her to hold the seat and with it their third seat on the board, preventing Republicans from gaining a 5-2 supermajority.
Mariella Smith, however, had to withdraw because of her husband’s illness, and former state Rep. Sean Shaw has replaced her on the ballot.
In an interview, Rico Smith said he made the move because, “I didn’t want to have such a contentious primary — that’s the last thing we wanted. We have to stop the cannibalism against other good candidates.”
He noted that Driskell won her 2022 re-election by only 8 points against Lisette Bonano, who he said “lacked the proper resources,” raising only $15,267 to Driskell’s $337,943.
Bonano has filed again for the House seat, but Smith is likely to have backing from local GOP leaders.
Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district — 38,892 to 25,335 as of the 2022 election — but the state Republican Party is likely to be able to far outspend Democrats in fighting for this and other legislative seats.
Smith, 27, an engineer, Air Force veteran and a first-time candidate for office, had raised $47,158 and spent $25,415 on the county race as of Dec. 31. Formerly of North Hyde Park, he said he recently rented an apartment in the district in New Tampa.
Driskell, an attorney now in her third term, has been considered by Democrats a potential candidate for statewide office.
In an interview, she said, “As Dems we’re always prepared to be outspent. I have honorably served my district for the past six years and I think my work will speak for itself.”
