Gallop Franklin's landslide victory in House District 8 is local Democrats' lone state win

The neighborhoods around Florida A&M University campus staked Gallop Franklin to an early lead in the Florida House District 8 race that held through the night to give the 34-year-old pharmacist a 71% to 29% victory over Republican Curt Bender.

House District 8 takes in all of Gadsden County, the state's only Black-majority county, and Tallahassee's south and west sides.

The seat became open after three-term incumbent Rep. Ramon Alexander, D-Tallahassee, declined to run for reelection after he became embroiled in a sexting scandal, which was investigated by the Tallahassee Democrat.

Franklin carried Leon County by 15,000 votes and Gadsden County by 5,000 votes with nearly all of the precincts reporting.

ELECTION RESULTS: See results from local and statewide races

Analysis: Election 2022: Results and analysis from every Tallahassee, Leon County race

He credited the victory to meeting with voters and community leaders to discuss how to partner "for a better future."

“We have two ears and one mouth so I tried to conduct myself (appropriately) and listen twice as much as I talked,” said Franklin.

Those discussions, he said, led him to focus his campaign on economic development and health care.

“We did well with no-party-affiliated voters, I think, because those issues resonates across party lines,” said Franklin.

In a Facebook Post, his challenger Bender pledged to "continue to challenge the conversation, support my community, and fight the good fight."

"To Gallop (and his team), I had a blast running against you, and I’m thankful we both chose the high road in this polarized political season," he wrote.

The Franklin campaign raised $130,000, with half of the contributions being for $250 or less.

Candidate background: Florida House of Representatives District 8

House District 8 forum: Bender and Franklin engage in sharp yet civil debate

Contributions came from groups like the Associated Industries of Florida, developers, health care entities, realtors and charter school interests.

Franklin spent $119,000, but did no television advertising, with more than half of his spending going to research and direct mail, and another $11,000 on T-shirts.

One the campaign trail, Franklin prioritized education, universal voting rights, and opposition to an abortion ban.

While Bender staked out some Republican positions in the race, both candidates pledged to continue Alexander's efforts to steer millions of dollars for infrastructure projects in Gadsden and to secure funding for Florida A&M University, the district's economic keystone.

Franklin supported expansion of Medicaid, increased pay and benefits for state workers, a $15-per-hour minimum wage, and home rule over state preemption of local regulations and mandates.

Franklin posted the only victory for Leon County Democrats, with Congressman Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee and state Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee being swept out of office by a Republican Party energized by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won reelection by a double-digits margin.

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gallop Franklin wins Florida House District 8 seat