Senate President Wilton Simpson (R) celebrated his victory on election night. The Florida Republican sought to take Commissioner Nikki Fried's (D) seat. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' (R) cabinet is now entirely comprised of GOP members after Fried gave up the seat to pursue the gubernatorial post.
Speaking to supporters on election night, Simpson admitted that"Floridians showed up... for freedom." In keeping with Governor DeSantis' theme of calling Florida the "freest" state in the country, Simpson congratulated supporters for helping him surge to victory.
"They showed up for economic freedom, the freedom to make decisions for their children, to run their businesses and raise their families without fear of government overreach," Simpson argued.
Political pundits posited that Simpson was poised to take the Agriculture Commissioner position after Democrat Naomi Blemur failed to overtake Simpson on the campaign trail. The final votes had Simpson winning with 59.3% of support compared to Blemur's 40.7%.
"Floridians showed the rest of the country that common sense is bipartisan in a stunning rejection of socialism, woke ideology and the economic ignorance coming out of Washington and embraced by so many politicians who look down on, instead of lifting up the people we serve," said Simpson, who's served in the Senate and Florida House.
Thanking "the hardworking people of Florida for their support," Simpson shared, "as I traveled the state over this last year, what I’ve learned is that Floridians are resilient and willing to fight for the American Dream."
Governor DeSantis, himself having won reelection by a wide margin, endorsed Simpson in late April.
