TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Lakeland City Commissioner Scott Franklin defeated U.S. Rep. Ross Spano in a Republican primary in Florida on Tuesday.
Franklin is a former Navy pilot and insurance business owner who challenged Spano because of ethics issues that have dogged him since being elected two years ago.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Spano for alleged campaign finance violations. The House Ethics Committee was looking into allegations that Spano borrowed more than $100,000 from two friends and then loaned the money to his campaign. But it paused the review when the criminal investigation began.
Franklin said during the campaign that he doesn’t disagree with Spano on policy, but his decision to run was based on questions about Spano’s ethics.
District 15 sits east of Tampa in central Florida. Franklin’s victory may give Republicans a better chance at winning in November. The district has traditionally voted Republican. Democrats were largely targeting Spano and hoped the ethics cloud hanging over him would give them a chance to flip the seat.
Spano is a lawyer who was elected to the state House in 2012 and served until he was elected to Congress in 2018.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.