Summary
Charles Thomas Keen III (born April 9, 1956)[1] is an American politician, businessman, and former military pilot who is a member of the Florida House of Representatives, having won a January 2024 special election. A member of the Democratic Party, he represents the 35th district, located in central Florida, southeast of Orlando, and includes parts of the counties of Orange and Osceola.
Tom Keen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 35th district | |
| Assumed office January 16, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Hawkins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Thomas Keen III April 9, 1956 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Laura |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Cincinnati (BA) |
Early life and education edit
Keen has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati.[2]
Career edit
Keen served as a naval flight officer for the United States Navy for 21 years, and worked as a manager at Collins Aerospace at the time of his election to the state legislature.[2][3]
After an unsuccessful campaign for the 35th district of the Florida House of Representatives in 2022, in which he lost the primary by a mere 57 votes, in May 2023, Keen announced his candidacy for a special election to succeed State Representative Fred Hawkins, who resigned to become president of South Florida State College.[3] On November 7, 2023, he won the Democratic primary in what was considered an upset, as he had been outraised by his two opponents.[4] Both parties heavily invested into winning the special election, due to Hawkins's 11-point re-election win in 2022, while President Joe Biden had won the district by five points in 2020. Keen received the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel during the campaign.[5] In the special election on January 16, 2024, Keen defeated Republican nominee Erika Booth by roughly 2.6 percentage points, in a flip for his party.[3][6]
Personal life edit
Keen and his wife, Laura, have two adult children, and reside in Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida.[2][7]
Electoral history edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jim Gray (incumbent) | 1,621 | 53.18% | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Keen | 1,208 | 38.63% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sunshine L. Grund | 219 | 7.19% | |
| Total votes | 945,467 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rishi Bagga | 4,060 | 38.69% | |
| Democratic | Tom Keen | 4,003 | 38.14% | |
| Democratic | Tahitiana Munoz-Chaffin | 2,432 | 23.17% | |
| Total votes | 10,495 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Keen | 2,419 | 35.84% | |
| Democratic | Rishi Bagga | 2,278 | 33.75% | |
| Democratic | Marucci Guzman | 2,053 | 30.41% | |
| Total votes | 6,750 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Keen | 11,390 | 51.33% | +6.74% | |
| Republican | Erika Booth | 10,800 | 48.67% | -6.74% | |
| Total votes | 22,190 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References edit
- ^ "Tom Keen - 2022 - 2024 ( Speaker Renner )". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ a b c Bridges, C. A. (January 17, 2024). "Tom Keen defeats Erika Booth, flips Florida House seat from Republican to Democrat. What to know". USA Today. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c Ogles, Jacob (January 16, 2024). "Tom Keen flips HD 35 from red to blue in critical Special Election". Florida Politics. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Ogles, Jacob (November 8, 2023). "Tom Keen emerges as Democratic nominee in HD 35 Special Election". Florida Politics. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "ENDORSEMENT: In House District 35, Tom Keen has shown he's ready to represent". Orlando Sentinel. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Gowins, Max (January 16, 2024). "Special Election Results: Florida State House 35". Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Zizo, Christie (January 15, 2024). "Meet the candidates in the Florida House District 35 special election". WKMG-TV. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "2017 ORLANDO GENERAL ELECTION". Orange County Supervisor of Elections. November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "August 23, 2022 Primary Election - Democratic Primary". Florida Department of State - Division of Elections. August 23, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "November 7, 2023 Primary Election - House 35 - Democratic Primary". Florida Department of State - Division of Elections. November 7, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.