It might not have gotten as much publicity as Congressional District 1 on Florida's Panhandle, but Nathan Boyles beat out seven other Republican candidates in the House District 3 Republican primary election on Tuesday night.
HD 3 includes Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County on the Florida Panhandle.
According to unofficial results, Boyles led with about 36% of the vote over Shon O. Owens at 32%. Both were followed by Hayden Hudson with about 10.5%, Cynthia Smith with 8.6%, Wade A. Merritt with 6.4%, Jaime Lee Wells with 3.8%, Rena McQuaig with 1.7%, and Joshua Sik with 1.2%.
Boyles will now face Democrat Dondre Wise in the HD 3 special election. The district is a reliably red area, so Boyles will likely have the advantage in the special general election on June 10.
Last November, Republican Joel Rudman defeated Democratic candidate Keith Ellis Gillum by 57 points in HD 3. Rudman vacated his seat to run in the Republican primary for Congressional District 1 but got trounced by Jimmy Patronis by 56 points.
Tough break for Rudman. Good news for Boyles.
For further context, President Donald Trump won Santa Rosa County with 75% of the vote and Okaloosa County with 71% against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump went on to defeat Harris by 13 points in Florida.
Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) congratulated Boyles on his victory Tuesday night.
"Congratulations to Nathan Boyles on winning the HD 3 Primary Election tonight! He’ll be a MASSIVE upgrade for our Santa Rosa County Delegation!" Andrade said.
Boyles was previously endorsed by the Florida Chamber in March in the run-up to the election.
"As a local business owner and entrepreneur, Nathan Boyles is committed to championing the policies necessary to further Florida’s global competitiveness, job creation, and vibrant quality of life," the Florida Chamber said.
