Mystery texts target Democrat Keen in special House election

A mystery group claiming to be progressive but seemingly chaired by a registered Republican has inserted itself into the special election next week for state House District 35, a Central Florida seat that could be a bellwether for Democrats’ chances of gains in November.

Sent last week, a series of texts complete with unflattering images claimed that Democratic candidate Tom Keen is a “fake progressive.”

The Keen campaign compared it to the 2020 “ghost candidate” scandals in Florida, which involved three independent candidates who ran for competitive state Senate seats. They did not campaign but were promoted by a deluge of ads coordinated by GOP operatives, apparently in an attempt to siphon votes away from the Democrats in each race.

“Stop me if you’ve heard this one … the other side is trying to trick you to win an election!” Keen wrote in a campaign email. “… These messages are not only inaccurate but are a blatant attempt to misguide and manipulate voters in our district.”

The Jan. 16 special election, triggered by the resignation of GOP state Rep. Fred Hawkins last year to take a college president position, pits Keen against Republican Erika Booth. The district includes parts of Orange and Osceola counties.

On Wednesday and Thursday, text messages sent out to Democratic voters claim Keen supported Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called “don’t say gay” law, the official name of which is the “Parental Rights in Education Act.”

The texts cite a Keen mailer that states he would protect parental rights, adding that “Keen and Ron DeSantis have more in common than you know.” One states that Keen “isn’t the progressive we thought he was.”

“Paid for by Florida Committee for Progressive Values,” the texts conclude.

A political action group by that name was created on Dec. 27 and listed Austin Hurst of Riverlake Boulevard in Bartow, Polk County, as its registered agent, chair and treasurer. According to elections records, a Michael Austin Hurst is registered at that address as a Republican.

The phone number listed for Hurst in the Florida Committee for Progressive Values filing was disconnected last week.

Keen has been critical of the “don’t say gay” law, saying in an October Democratic primary debate that he’d be “a strong champion for protecting LGBTQ+ rights and personal freedom” and that parents “should not be censoring what other children can read based on their own views.”

The state Republican Party has also launched a website and a TV ad targeting Keen from the right, calling him a “radical.”

“Look, I’m a Navy veteran,” Keen said in response to the GOP website and ad. “I served our country for 20 years on active duty, I swore an oath to the Constitution. I would point a finger back at any of those people that say anything negative about me and ask them what they have done for our country.”

Booth and the Orange County and state GOP did not return requests for comment.

Booth, a conservative member of the Osceola School Board, has stated on her campaign website she would “protect children from indoctrination” and that she opposed the “woke agenda … [of] pushing trans education in our schools.”

The election could be a predictor of Democrats’ chances of gains in the Legislature in November. If Keen wins, it could also embarrass Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis the day after the Iowa presidential caucuses.