Primary elections: Two Republicans, one Democrat vie for seat in Florida's new House District 91
Two candidates are running in the Republican primary for a seat in Florida's new House District 91 as Highland Beach Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman will face Boca Raton resident Christina DuCasse on Aug. 23.
The winner will face Democrat Andy Thomson, a 36-year-old attorney, in the November general election. Thomson, who was elected to the Boca Raton City Council in 2018, is running unopposed.
The district is composed of Boca Raton, Highland Beach and parts of West Boca.
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A look at the Republican candidates:
Peggy Gossett-Seidman
Age and residence: Gossett-Seidman, 69, lives in Highland Beach.
Top campaign priorities: Gossett-Seidman says she is prioritizing dropping or maintaining taxes, infrastructure and roadwork in the area.
"I'd like to speed up some of the easy repairs and try to get some of this roadwork completed," she said, noting that the state of Florida gains 1,000 residents per day.
Gossett-Seidman also lists her conservative priorities on her campaign page. Among them is supporting Gov. DeSantis' Free Florida Agenda, safeguarding parents' constitutional rights and expanding school choice.
Professional history: For the first six years of her career, Gossett-Seidman was a reporter for The Palm Beach Post. After that, she worked in media, handling public relations for the Women's Tennis Association in 18 countries as well as offering her skills in marketing to local schools.
Political background: She has served on the Highland Beach Town Commission since 2018, working to fully fund public safety, securing state funding for local infrastructure projects and priding herself in finding conservative solutions to local issues. She also serves on the State Infrastructure and Intergovernmental Relations Board for the League of Cities, as well as the County and District League of City Boards.
"Their functions are to facilitate improvements between state agencies and government officials with the actual districts and citizens," she said.
Education: Gossett-Seidman holds a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University, where she studied writing, journalism and history. She credits much of her progress to her training as a journalist.
"By asking the right questions, you get the right answers," she said.
Criminal history: None.
Endorsements: Gossett-Seidman has received endorsements from five state representatives. Among them are incoming House speaker Paul Renner of District 34, Mike Caruso of District 89, Rick Roth of District 85, Randy Fine of District 53 and Chip LaMarca of District 93.
Finances: Gossett-Seidman has loaned her campaign $200,000.
Social media presence: Gossett-Seidman is active on Facebook, Instagram and her campaign page, where constituents can sign up for her newsletter.
Christina DuCasse
Age and residence: DuCasse, 29, lives in Delray Beach.
Top campaign priorities: DuCasse is a self-proclaimed "America-first patriot who will stand for the people" in her district. If elected, she hopes to keep Florida "open and free," supporting Gov. DeSantis along the way.
"I thought, 'You know what? I don't see anyone running with the platform of protecting the children, of eradicating human trafficking, of addressing the orphan crisis here in our state," DuCasse said at a fundraiser in Highland Beach this week.
DuCasse claims she will fight to eradicate human trafficking in Florida, for Florida to continue to have no state income tax, for medical freedom for all, to keep critical race theory out of all Florida schools, to protect the unborn and for paper ballots only.
Professional history: DuCasse did not provide background.
Political background: DuCasse has not previously run for political office.
Education: DuCasse did not provide background.
Criminal history: None.
Endorsements: DuCasse has been endorsed by the Firefighters of Boca Raton Local 1560, nonprofit Stand for Health Freedom and nonprofit Restore Liberty.
Social media presence: Aside from her campaign webpage, DuCasse is active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where her latest retweet is a poll claiming that millions of Trump supporters would show up in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Capitol was sieged.
Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Primary elections: Two Republicans, one Democrat vie for House 91 seat
