Transgender candidate files to become first transgender member of Florida Legislature
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Democrat Ashley Brundage this week opened a campaign account to run for a Hillsborough County seat in the state House and to try to become the first transgender member of the Legislature.
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Brundage filed the paperwork to run in House District 65, which is held by Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, R-Tampa, according to the state Division of Elections website.
Gonzalez Pittman is running for re-election in November and had raised $154,189 for her campaign as of March 31, according to a newly filed finance report.
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Democrat Nathan Albert Kuipers also has opened an account and had raised $11,527.
The Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis have approved a series of measures in recent years targeting transgender people.
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LPAC, a national organization that helps LGBTQ women and nonbinary candidates, issued a statement Friday supporting Brundage’s campaign.
“In the face of relentless anti-LGBTQ legislation in Florida, Ashley Brundage’s voice is not just important — it’s essential,” Janelle Perez, LPAC’s executive director, said in a prepared statement. “We are witnessing an unprecedented wave of policies that undermine the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ Floridians.”
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