Dozens of state House and Senate seats are are up for grabs on Election Day. But only a handful are truly competitive. WUSF's Steve Newborn gets the inside track on two of those races in Sarasota County with longtime political reporter William "Windy" March.
We look at two races:
Senate District 23 in Sarasota County. This pits State Representative Greg Steube versus political newcomer and New College professor Frank Alcock. Steube bested a lot of name players in the primary, including Ray Pilon, Doug Holder and Nora Patterson, but does the professor have a chance?
House District 72 in Sarasota, now headed by outgoing Rep. Ray Pilon. It pits Democrat Ed James III vs Republican Alexandra Miller, and is one of the most competitive legislative races in Florida. The district has a Republican tilt but is considered winnable for the right Democrat. James raised over $200,000, including party in-kind, plus $660,000 in independent committee money. He was heading for a possible upset in a GOP-leaning district, before getting hit with an accusation of sex assault in October for an incident that allegedly happened in June. Miller is a moderate, pro-abortion rights, yoga teacher, medical equipment/supplies business owner.