Ryan Chamberlin wins state House of Representatives District 24 election
Ryan Chamberlin won the state House of Representatives District 24 election on Tuesday, taking 78% of the vote over write-in candidate Robert "Foxy" Fox.
The special election was needed because Joe Harding resigned the seat in December after being indicted for wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements concerning COVID-19 relief funding. He has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in July.
Chamberlin won the five-man GOP primary in March. Fox qualified as a write-in candidate. No other candidates were in the race.
Previous coverage: A look at the District 24 race
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There were 133,738 eligible voters in the race, and 8,758 of them (6.55%) voted, according to the Supervisor of Elections Office.
Technically, the votes for the write-in candidate aren't official until leaders confirm that Fox's name was properly written in. Tuesday night's tally just indicates how many voters filled in the oval next to "write-in."
Reached by phone Tuesday night, Chamberlin said he's ready to get to work. His points of emphasis will include education, immigration and the infrastructure needs of Marion County.
"We're definitely excited to be on the other side of" the election, he said.
jross@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ryan Chamberlin wins, will represent District 24 in state House
