Republican businessman Joe Strada won Florida's 11th Congressional District on Tuesday, capturing the open seat being vacated by longtime U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster. It marks the first political office for Strada, the founder of a major air conditioning and home services company who poured millions of his own dollars into the race.
Strada, founder of Strada Services, defeated Democrat James Pericola and Libertarian Ralph Groves, according to flvoicenews.com. Vote counts varied as returns came in Tuesday night: The Hill reported Strada leading Pericola 51.5% to 47.6% with 51% of the vote counted as of 7:13 p.m. EST, while unofficial results later in the evening showed Strada with roughly 52% to Pericola's 46% and Groves drawing 1%, per flvoicenews.com's report. The Associated Press called the race for Strada, according to WESH.
With 98% of precincts reporting, Strada was winning 53% of the vote, per a separate count from floridapolitics.com. Strada will succeed retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster in a district that includes all of Sumter County and portions of Lake and Orange counties, the outlet reports. WESH notes the district also includes The Villages, Wildwood, Leesburg, Winter Garden and Clermont.
A Businessman's First Run for Office
Strada is president and CEO of Strada Services LLC, a private businessman entering politics for the first time, according to WESH. The company bills itself as the largest privately held, family-owned air conditioning, electric, security and plumbing company in the country, floridapolitics.com reports. Strada's deep personal wealth shaped the race financially: he raised more than $5.5 million through October 14, most of it from a $5 million loan he made to his own campaign, the same report states.
That financial advantage carried through to Election Day. As of October 14, Strada reported more than $860,000 still in the bank, while Pericola had only $35,000 in cash on hand, per floridapolitics.com. Pericola, for his part, raised about $226,000 for the race, including roughly $65,000 out of his own pocket, according to a separate floridapolitics.com report on the race's funding dynamics.
Pericola brought a different résumé to the contest. He formerly served as a White House advance and special assistant to the chairman and previously worked as a legislative staff assistant, according to WESH. Groves, the Libertarian in the race, previously chaired the Libertarian Party of Orange County, per the same report.
Solid Republican Ground
Strada's win was never much in doubt given the district's political lean. The seat has been held by Republicans for more than a decade and was rated solid or safe Republican by major election forecasters, according to flvoicenews.com. Sabato's Crystal Ball, the Cook Political Report, and Inside Elections all had the race rated as a solid or safe Republican seat, mynews13.com reported back in August.
The district's voter rolls reflect that tilt. At general-election book closing, CD 11 had just over 253,000 registered Republicans, compared with under 158,000 Democrats, with some 166,000 registered with other parties or with no party affiliation, per floridapolitics.com. President Trump carried the area by double digits under the current district lines, flvoicenews.com notes.
A Hard-Fought Primary Behind Him
Strada's path to the general election was far closer than Tuesday's outcome suggests. He won the GOP nomination over former Lake County Property Appraiser Carey Baker by only 393 votes, and a mandatory machine recount left that margin unchanged, according to floridapolitics.com. WESH reports Strada is backed by various Florida GOP leaders, including Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Strada's campaign website lists investigating congressional stock trading, enacting congressional term limits and balancing the federal government's budget among his priorities, per The Hill. With the race called, Strada now heads to Washington for his first term representing the Central Florida district.
