McClure Wins District 58​ State Representative Race

SEFFNER, FL – Republican Lawrence McClure won the Florida State District 58 race with 54.5 percent of the vote Tuesday night, according to unofficial voter returns. A special election was held to elect a new state representative for the district, which includes Plant City, Seffner, Thonotosassa, Dover and Temple Terrace. McClure will replace former state Rep. Dan Raulerson, who resigned due to health reasons.

There were four candidates on Tuesday's ballot, including McClure. The other candidates were: Democrat Jose Vazquez, Libertarian Bryan Zemina and Ahmad Hussam Saadaldin, who has no party affiliation.

Vazquez received 33.8 percent of the vote; Saadaldin got 8.5 percent and Zemina got 3.1 percent. In the election, 13,918 cast votes with 7,585 voting for McClure.

Unofficial results announced Tuesday do not include provisional and 10-day overseas ballots.

McClure, 30, lives in Dover and grew up in Tampa. The office is for a two-year term and pays $29,697 a year.

Vazquez, 43, came to Tampa from Puerto Rico in 1999. Zemina, 30, is a lifelong Hillsborough County resident. And Saadaldin, 27, came to the United States as a child with his Kurdish family, fleeing Saddam Hussein's regime during the first Gulf War.

Photo by Linda Bock, Patch staff