Florida State House District 70 race overview: Mike Beltran versus 'Junior' Salazar Jr.

Manatee County voters in state House District 70 will choose between a conservative incumbent representative and a grassroots activist for the seat, which includes the northwest portion of Manatee as well as coastal south Hillsborough County.

Neither candidate responded to questions from the Herald-Tribune about their campaign and positions for this story. Early voting is open and runs through Sunday, Nov. 6. General election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

House members serve two-year terms, but are limited to no more than four consecutive terms. They are paid $29,697 annually.

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Who is running for State House District 70?

Mike Beltran

Mike Beltran is a resident of Lithia in Hillsborough County, a father, and an attorney. Beltran, 38, was elected to the Florida House in 2018. The conservative Republican candidate currently holds the District 57 seat and has approximately $120,200 in total contributions to his District 70 election campaign.

On the issues, Beltran has been vocal about supporting strategies to lower taxes, cut government waste, protect the environment and Florida waters and improve infrastructure in the district.

Beltran said he opposes abortion and supports a legislation to fully ban it, a more stringent step than the ban after 15 weeks that was enacted this year. Last summer, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Beltran stated at a press conference in Hillsborough County that he would "give my life to end abortion and protect the unborn."

Beltran was recently named by the Judicial Nominating Commission among a group of potential candidates for three vacancies on the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeal. He did not return calls to the Herald-Tribune to ask whether he intends to serve his full House term if elected.

Beltran has been endorsed by a number of conservative organizations, as well as the Florida Fraternal Order of Police and Florida Realtors. Beltran's website is at https://electmikebeltran.com/.

Eleuterio 'Junior' Salazar, Jr.

Junior Salazar, 35, is an openly queer Mexican-American who lives in Bradenton and is a father and husband.

The LGBTQ+ advocate and candidate was the first candidate from the queer community to qualify for office in the city of Bradenton. A newcomer to state-level political office, Salazar said he has sought to use his experience in community service and organizational leadership to establish a grassroots campaign.

Salazar is a proponent of fundamental human rights issues — affordable housing, LGBTQ+ rights, as well as protecting reproductive rights for Floridians. If elected, Salazar said he would push legislation that will help the state ratify The Equality Act, a proposed bill that will prohibit the discrimination of people based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

His most recent work and interest in environmental stewardship were noted in 2021 as Salazar was one of the local residents who warned of dangers from the Piney Point industrial water holding site in north Manatee. Salazar's website points to his stance on environmental policies and issues in the state.

"I will ensure more equitable development projects that will reward environmentalism and ingenuity of design," Salazar said on his website.

Since declaring for the District 70 race, Salazar has collected just over $9,000 in contributions to his campaign.

Salazar's website is at https://juniorsalazar.com/.

Samantha Gholar covers social justice news for the Herald-Tribune and USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at sgholar@gannett.com or on Twitter: @samanthagholar

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Who is running for Florida State House District 70 in Manatee County?