Joanne Terry wins Democratic primary for Congress, will face Posey in November
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Joanne Terry came out on top in U.S. House of Representative District 8 Democratic primary Tuesday night, and will face off against Republican incumbent Rep. Bill Posey in November.
While Indian River County reported she received 59.88% of the vote there, and Orange County reported she received 60.00% of the vote in that county, the race between Terry and her opponent, Danelle Dodge, was closer in Brevard.
In Brevard, Terry came out with 53.33% of the vote, with Dodge receiving 46.67%.
For the full district, Terry received 54.61% of the vote and Dodge received 45.39% of the vote.
District 8 includes all of Brevard and Indian River counties, along with a section of east Orange County.
"I’m just thrilled and really honored that the District 8 Democrats have chosen me to move forward," said Terry, a 57-year-old former systems engineer from Satellite Beach. "I think this shows that we want to unify the district and get everyone back together."
Dodge could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Terry now must face U.S. Rep. Bill Posey on Nov. 8 in a race that heavily favors the longtime Republican incumbent. Posey won his last two elections by totals of around 60% of the vote each time.
Posey, R-Rockledge, is seeking an eighth two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives receive a base salary of $174,000 and serve two-year terms.
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Throughout the election, Dodge had positioned herself as the somewhat more progressive candidate, a gamble that did not pay off Tuesday night.
Terry spent much of her campaign discussing the divisiveness and crudity of modern politics, and how many Republicans and moderates would choose a Democrat, rather than vote for someone affiliated with former President Donald Trump.
She banked on casting herself as a moderate to win the favor of the heavily Republican Space Coast.
Tuesday evening, she said her goal for the rest of her campaign is to help show the district she wants to unify its citizens.
"I need to reach out and unify our Democrats here and make sure that they know that I’m representing the values that we all stand for, and reach out to the swing voters, the independents and the Republicans that believe the GOP has gone too far," she said.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Terry wins Democratic primary for Congress, to face Posey in November
