Monique Worrell, a state’s attorney in Florida who last year was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), is projected to win her reelection bid.
Worrell, a Democrat, defeated Andrew Bain, whom DeSantis had appointed to replace her. Bain is not affiliated with a political party, but he had garnered support from conservatives during the campaign.
Worrell outpaced Bain, gaining 57% of votes. The Associated Press called the race at 9:46 p.m.
Worrell, a progressive, was first elected as a state attorney in the Orlando area in 2020. DeSantis repeatedly criticized her, accusing her of being soft on crime, and issued an executive order last August to remove her from office.
Worrell had said prior to the move that she believed DeSantis planned to suspend her. He had already removed Andrew Warren, a Democratic prosecutor in Hillsborough County, from office after making similar claims about him.
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Worrell described DeSantis’ tactics as “tyranny” and said the Florida governor sought to “exploit his political agenda” against her. Other Black women prosecutors rallied behind Worrell, and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried referred to DeSantis’ actions as a “political hit job.”
The race came down to Worrell and Bain after the winner of the Republican primary, Seth Hyman, dropped out last month. Hyman’s primary challenger, Thomas Feiter, filed a lawsuit accusing Hyman of working with DeSantis and Bain — essentially, of dropping out to hand Bain the Republican vote.
Worrell said there should be a federal investigation into whether candidates had been manipulated. Both Hyman and Bain have denied the allegations.