GOP state Rep. John Snyder sails to reelection in House District 86 race

STUART – Running on his first-term record and sitting on a pile of campaign cash, GOP state Rep. John Snyder easily won reelection to his House District 86 seat in Tuesday’s general election, unofficial election results show.

Once again Snyder, 35, a Palm City Marine Corps veteran and son of Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, proved voters want to keep the redrawn House District 86 in his conservative Republican hands over his Democratic challenger Ray Denzel, who was trounced by a significant margin.

House District 86: GOP State Rep. John Snyder to face Democrat Ray Denzel

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The new district still encompasses most of Martin County but excludes the Palm City area north of Southwest Martin Highway. The district covers Stuart, Jensen Beach, Sewall’s Point, Jupiter Island, Port Salerno, Hobe Sound and Indiantown. It dips into Palm Beach County along Interstate 95 to include Tequesta and Jupiter.

Snyder captured 68.52% of votes over Denzel, 69, of Stuart, who garnered 31.48%, according to Florida division of election results.

State results posted shortly after 8 p.m. show Snyder won 56,431 votes while Denzel picked up 25,926.

Snyder called Tuesday’s win “an honor.”

“It's humbling to see that kind of result come in. Being able to serve for the last two years has been a privilege of a lifetime,” he said. “We know we've got a lot of work still to be done and for the voters to give me that nod of confidence to get back into the fight, to be their voice in Tallahassee is something I'm motivated about and ready to get right back to work on.”

He celebrated his victory at Harry and the Natives restaurant, in Hobe Sound.

“This is an iconic location here in Hobe Sound and it was a big turnout and a big community win,” he said.

In Martin County, Snyder gained 39,357 votes and Palm Beach County voters delivered 17,074, Florida division of election results show.

Denzel won 17,016 votes in Martin County and another 8,910 in Palm Beach County.

Results, which are unofficial, will be certified on Nov. 22, according to the Florida Department of State website.

During his two-year term, Snyder is expected to earn a base salary of $29,697 plus per diems of $152 per day for up to 60 days, state records show.

His campaign largely mirrored his 2020 win, when Snyder ran as a self-described GOP conservative and business owner committed to cutting taxes, providing families with options in education, standing up for the rights of the unborn and defending the Second Amendment.

And this time, he could tout successes from his first legislative term in Tallahassee, such as securing $7.65 million to fund local projects, including $5 million to begin construction on the Indiantown Workforce Charter School.

In September, Snyder snagged another $4 million in state grants to benefit a range of local projects, including the Veteran Resource Network, the Boys & Girls Club of Martin County, environmental and storm drainage initiatives and a wellness program for aging adults with developmental disabilities.

Gov. Ron DeSantis also signed into law a bill Snyder drafted that makes it easier to penalize people convicted of burglaries committed outside their county of residence.

Snyder, too, supported a bill DeSantis signed into law that lets people with concealed-weapons licenses carry firearms at churches or other religious institutions that share properties with schools. He also helped expand opportunities for military veterans to teach in Florida classrooms.

And he supported the controversial Parental Rights in Education Bill, known by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” which prohibits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

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Denzel, a plumbing specialist at the Home Depot in Stuart, campaigned against Snyder’s often unwavering support of DeSantis’ agenda, especially related to healthcare, education, elections and firearms.

Denzel launched his race saying he was motivated to challenge Snyder after watching how often the first-term lawmaker voted in support of GOP causes.

He also criticized Snyder as being “against abortion rights, against LGBTQ rights … supported voter suppression and many other terrible bills.”

But Denzel couldn’t come close to catching Snyder in a race for campaign cash, who collected money for his reelection and through a political committee dubbed John Snyder for Florida.

Since the Aug. 24 primary, Snyder has raised $44,950 from 61 contributors including 24 political action committees and has spent $72,207, leaving him with $82,559. He had $168,236 on hand going into the general election, finance reports from the state Division of Elections show

His political committee, created in 2020, has raised $160,675 since the Florida primary and has spent $18,675, leaving him with $165,930. The account had $92,000 on hand in late August.

Denzel loaned his race $559, he collected $6,330 from 47 donors and he spent $3,837.

He raised $4,500 from Democrat groups in Martin County and one political action committee, the Green Florida PAC.

With the election won, Snyder said he expects the Florida Legislature will meet in the coming weeks during a special session to address property insurance.

“We've taken steps in the past but we now have an opportunity to really make a big move on tort reform and level the scales, so that consumers have the protection they need without letting the billboard attorneys line their pockets,” he said. “This was a big night and we know winning is good, but if you don't deliver for your voters, there's a very short term memory when it comes to past success.”

Snyder also expects to seek funding that failed to pass this year, including $3.8 million to expand the number of beds at the Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center in Indiantown and $2 million for the Loxa-Lucie Headwater Initiative, a grassroots project to connect nearly 70,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat between two Florida state parks.

What's Next

Term: Florida legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.

Salary: $29,697

Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers, and is writer and co-host of Uncertain Terms, a true crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: FLORIDA HOUSE: John Snyder beats Ray Denzel for District 86 seat