A Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed nominee is mounting a challenge against a two-term incumbent in southeastern Hillsborough County, setting up a November race that pits insurance reform and Medicaid expansion against promises to protect law enforcement and the region's strawberry industry. Ashley Herrmann is running as the Florida House Democratic nominee in District 69, aiming to unseat state Rep. Danny Alvarez, who is campaigning for a third two-year term.
Two Candidates, Two Visions For District 69
District 69 covers southeastern Hillsborough County, an area that according to WFLA leans Republican but is being watched as closer to purple than red heading into the election. Voters there will decide the race on November 3, 2026, between Herrmann and Alvarez, the incumbent state representative for the district. Alvarez is campaigning for reelection out of Tallahassee, according to the same report, while Herrmann has been introducing herself to voters as the district's contest draws national-style attention amid a broader wave of Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidacies across Florida.
Alvarez says he plans to build on public safety legislation, insurance accountability, and conservation efforts if reelected, per the station's report. He has also said he plans to protect law enforcement and fund government, framing his campaign around continuity in a county that WFLA describes as experiencing rapid development, including new businesses and new housing. Alvarez pointed to the region's agricultural backbone as well, saying strawberries — described in the report as a billion-dollar industry — are worth protecting.
Herrmann's Platform: Healthcare, Teacher Pay And Insurance
Herrmann has said she plans to fight for insurance reform and higher teacher pay, and plans to address healthcare concerns that she says have gone unresolved in Tallahassee. Per the same account, she has explored expanding Medicaid and using federal dollars that Florida has previously refused as a way to reduce healthcare costs for residents. She has also voiced support for closing for-profit prisons, according to the report.
Addressing questions about her party affiliation, Herrmann told 8 On Your Side on Thursday that she cannot abolish the state Senate from Tallahassee, pushing back on characterizations of her candidacy as extreme. Alvarez, for his part, has criticized Herrmann's DSA-aligned policies, saying the system discussed by the organization would dismantle things that made America a great nation, according to WFLA.
Amendment 3 Looms Over The Race
Beyond the legislative race itself, the ballot this fall includes Amendment 3, which would reduce property tax bills, per the report. Herrmann opposes the measure and said she hopes it does not pass, while Miami-Dade County's sheriff has backed Amendment 3 and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has come out against it, according to the article. WFLA also reports that state lawmakers could be called back to Tallahassee in December if Amendment 3 passes, though the conditions for such a session were not detailed.
The Hillsborough race has drawn attention from Florida political circles watching a string of Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidacies this cycle. Democratic Socialists of America listed Ashley Herrmann as a Florida State House District 69 candidate for the November 3 election in a September post, describing her as part of the party's slate heading into the general. However, a separate Politico Florida Playbook newsletter from August described Oliver Larkin, a candidate in a different Florida race, as the only DSA-endorsed candidate at that point in the primary cycle — a discrepancy that the available reporting does not resolve.
That broader DSA push has already made headlines elsewhere in the state. A national wire item circulated by wfin.com noted that a Florida primary involving DSA-endorsed candidate Oliver Larkin, who challenged an incumbent Democrat, drew significant national attention this cycle. On Threads, commentator David Jolly weighed in on the affordability concerns animating races like Herrmann's, posting that Floridians are being squeezed by an affordability crisis while watching corruption unfold — part of the wider conversation swirling around contests featuring DSA-aligned candidates this fall.
With Election Day on November 3 approaching, District 69 voters in southeastern Hillsborough County are left weighing sharply different pitches: Alvarez's emphasis on continuity, public safety, and protecting the strawberry industry against Herrmann's calls for healthcare expansion, insurance reform, and higher teacher pay.
