Democrat from Davenport seeks to challenge Scott Franklin in U.S. House-18 election

A first Democrat has filed to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, in the race for District 18, Peter Braunston of Davenport.

About the district

Franklin, a former Lakeland city commissioner, is in his first term in District 18 after serving one term in District 15. The Florida Legislature redrew district boundaries based on 2020 U.S. Census information.

The district includes most of Polk County, including Lakeland east of South Florida Avenue, as well as DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee counties and part of Collier County.

Who is the challenger?

Braunston, 56, said he has lived in Davenport since 3013 and works in an office position for Disney Cruise Line. He grew up in suburban Philadelphia, and he said he served as a legislative aide for former U.S. Rep. Peter Kostmayer, a Democrat who served from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Braunston said his late mother, Judi Braunston, worked for two members of Congress and for the Environmental Protection Agency. The candidate and his wife have two children, ages 18 and 20.

Why is he running?

Braunston said he considers it important for a Democrat to challenge Franklin, who easily won election in 2022 against an independent candidate. He offered several criticisms of the incumbent.

“I'm just not happy with the way things are going with Scott Franklin, quite frankly,” Braunston said. “He doesn't support women's choice. He is all for tax cuts for the very richest of us and not the rest of us. The fact that he also did not vote to authorize Joe Biden's election really left a bad taste in my mouth.”

Braunston referred to Franklin’s vote against certifying the Electoral College results from two states, Arizona and Pennsylvania, in the 2020 presidential election. A majority of congressional Republicans challenged results from at least one state, as former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that widespread fraud plagued the election.

Other campaign issues

Braunston said he favors removing an income cap on Social Security taxes. He said he supports the individual right to own guns but thinks Congress should impose limits, such as outlawing guns with high-capacity magazines.

District composition

District 18 is predominantly Republican, and Trump carried all of its counties in the 2020 election.

“Hey, it's an uphill climb, but aren't they all?” Braunston said.

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He noted that two politicians he admired, Kostmayer and Marjorie Margolies, gained election in a heavily Republican district in Pennsylvania.

Financial details

As of Tuesday, Franklin had reported about $378,000 in campaign donations and carried about $541,000 in available cash. Braunston has not yet filed a financial report.

A non-party candidate, John Richardson Jr. of Sebring, has reported no campaign donations since filing to run in September.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Democrat from Davenport seeks to challenge Scott Franklin