Graphic courtesy FloridaRedistricting.gov: Gov. DeSantis' proposed Congressional map.

A Democrat has filed for a new state House seat in north Manatee County. But the Republican field remains in flux.

Eleuterio Salazar, Jr., who previously has run for Bradenton Mayor and Bradenton City Council, filed in Florida House District 70, which covers Manatee communities including Terra Ceia, as well as Hillsborough County communities like Apollo Beach and Sun City Center. Salazar, a Democrat, lives in Ruskin now.

“In the new District 70, we have voters who care about the same issues I do,” he said. “Our environment, our homeowners’ insurance skyrocketing while the Legislature is not doing anything about it. Affordable housing. Whether you are Republican or Dem, you care about these issues.”

As a queer parent, he’s also upset at a law, labeled by critics as “don’t say gay,” which prohibits teachers in kindergarten through third grade from instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity, and limits talks to “age appropriate” instruction at any grade level. 

“It affects my child and her ability to talk about her gay father,” Salazar said.

Of course, it could be an uphill battle to win the state House seat. Partisan analyses show 54.29% of voters in the new district voted for Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 election, compared to 44.54% who backed Democrat Joe Biden. That makes the seat almost seven percentage points more Republican than Florida as a whole.

If there’s a saving grace for Salazar or any other Democrat right now, it’s that the Republican field remains in stasis thanks to an unrelated dispute between the Governor and Legislature over congressional district lines.

State Rep. Mike Beltran, R-Lithia, announced in March he will move into Florida House District 70 to run for re-election. That choice came after legislative redistricting placed him in a seat with Rep. Andrew Learned, D-Brandon. As happened in cases where a district paired two incumbents, one elected to move.

Meanwhile, Ellenton businessman Dennis Cooley already announced he was running, but his campaign has made clear he’s not trying to primary an incumbent. Most likely, Cooley won’t run if Beltran runs, and will instead wait to run until after Beltran faces term limits or runs for another office.

Where congressional redistricting comes in is that Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed a congressional map approved by the Legislature. Lawmakers will reconvene in Tallahassee for a Special Session on Tuesday, when leadership for the Florida Senate and House say they won’t try to produce a new map and instead will ask DeSantis’ office to present its own plan. DeSantis submitted a map Wednesday for consideration. The map includes a north Manatee County-south Hillsborough County seat many thing would be attractive to Beltran.

Of course, that’s territory where U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, could choose to seek another term, or he could run in a Sarasota County based seat. That could also impact where U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, may run, as he also previously represented Manatee County in the statehouse.

If Beltran runs there, Cooley will likely stay in the House District 70 race, where he remains the only incumbent. In the meantime, neither Beltran or Cooley has done much fundraising since mid-March, when the regular legislative session ended.

That said, Salazar has raised just $275 as of the end of March and is still planning his formal campaign launch. Cooley, meanwhile, has $111,250 in cash on hand, including a $50,000 candidate loan. Beltran, who holds strength as an incumbent who already represents a portion of Hillsborough voters in the district, has $88,288 in the bank should he run.

Graphic courtesy FloridaRedistricting.gov: Gov. DeSantis' proposed Congressional map.