DAYTONA BEACH — George Sheldon of Tampa defeated Perry Thurston of Fort Lauderdale in the Democratic primary for Florida attorney general and now moves on to face GOP incumbent Pam Bondi in November.
“It's on to the tougher race,” Sheldon told Tampa-area reporters Tuesday night at the Wine Loft in Tallahassee, where he and his his campaign staffers got the final results. “I'm under no illusions about November — we've got a lot of work to do between now and then.”
Sheldon, 67, goes up against a much tougher foe in Bondi, 48, who has amassed $2.8 million in campaign contributions by virtue of having no GOP primary challenger.
That's compared to the $523,000 Sheldon raised, though he spent most of it in the Democratic primary in the win over the 53-year-old Thurston, the outgoing minority leader in the Florida House.
George Sheldon, 67, the Democratic primary victor, goes up against a much tougher foe in incumbent Pam Bondi, 48, who has amassed $2.8 million in campaign contributions by virtue of having no GOP primary challenger. That's compared to the $523,000 Sheldon raised, though he spent most of it in the Democratic primary win over the 53-year-old Thurston, the outgoing minority leader in the Florida House.
Democratic voters in Volusia County went overwhelmingly forSheldon 61.14 percent to 38.86 percent for Thurston, mirroring statewide results.
The attorney general is Florida's top law enforcement officer, paid $129,972 annually, and has a seat on the Florida cabinet.