Charles Thomas Keen III (born April 9, 1956)[1] is an American politician, businessman, and former military officer who served as 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 | |
| In office January 16, 2024 – November 5th, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Hawkins |
| Succeeded by | Erika Booth |
| 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
editKeen has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati.[2]
Military Service
editKeen joined the United States Navy and was designated a Naval Flight Officer after completing flight school in 1983. He specialized in airborne reconnaissance missions where he conducted highly sensitive airborne multi-sensor surveillance operations in support of high priority naval and national intelligence requirements all over the world including operations in the Persian Gulf. Shore assignments included duty at the US Embassy in London.
Career
editHe retired from active duty as a Commander (O-5) 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
editKeen 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.
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