Courtesy of the Joe Strada for Congress campaign
Key Points
Businessman Joe Strada won Florida’s 11th U.S. Congressional District seat Tuesday night with 53% of the vote, according to unofficial results from AP.
“I am incredibly grateful to have earned the trust and support of Central Floridians and look forward to serving them in Congress,” Strada said in a post. “I want to thank my beautiful wife Karen and our family for their love, patience and support.”
Strada, owner and executive chairman of Strada Services, finished the race with 192,783 votes. He had earned the Republican nomination over former state representative Carey Baker in the Aug. 18 primary.
“Joe and I faced each other in what was the closest congressional primary in the nation,” Baker said in a post before results arrived. “It was a grueling, expensive, hard-fought campaign, and we both gave it everything we had. Joe earned that victory and he has earned your vote today.”
Strada defeated Democrat James Pericola, who won the Democratic primary against Royal Webster and Dan Williams. Pericola left Tuesday night with 166,788 votes, or 45.9% of the vote.
“We did this on a shoestring and then some, and to go from 20 points, 21 points, whatever it is, to six, to seven, a loss is a loss,” said Pericola in a Tuesday night phone interview with The Apopka Chief. “We were outspent 40 to one, and that’s on the low end. It just overwhelms any ship in the sea.”
Pericola attributed the loss to ‘big money,’ saying that ‘a thoughtful and fruitful discussion’ with Strada would have helped voters ‘make a more informed decision.’
Strada had not participated in any post-primary debate opportunities with Pericola. A Sept. 12 news release from the Pericola campaign announced that Strada had ‘turned down another nonpartisan invitation to present his positions to the district’s voters.’
“Voters deserve to hear from each of us, and anyone running to represent them in elected office,” Pericola said in the release.
Pericola expressed gratitude for and pride in each of his supporters and is looking forward to spending time with his family, ‘what this has always been about.’
“The idea that you have all of these programs being canceled and healthcare, like my mom has been experiencing and being mistreated on, people are tired of hearing about my mom and her healthcare issues, but it’s not unique to her,” Pericola said. “It’s what’s happening to tens of millions of Americans because they’re breaking these systems on purpose, and I think that’s worth the fight, whether you win or lose. It’s worth the fight, even if it’s in the reddest area.”
Libertarian Ralph Groves received 3,927 votes, or 1.1% of the vote. Groves did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Strada will replace Congressman Daniel Webster, a longtime politician of over four decades who championed home education, helped fund State Road 429, and returned almost $32 million to constituents. House District 11 spans portions of several counties in west Central Florida.