Jake Hoffman Wins Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Poll over Karen Gonzalez Pittman in District 65

Jake for state house

TAMPA, FLA. (PRWEB) AUGUST 11, 2022

Entrepreneur, Jake Hoffman who is running for State House District 65 won in the most recent 2022 Tampa Bay Chamber Straw Poll over Karen Gonzalez Pittman. Jake won amongst the Republican candidates, in a heavily leaned room of political insiders where Karen was thought to be the establishment pick. “Despite being one of the most anti-establishment candidates in the cycle, the choice is becoming clear even in a room full of establishment insiders and lobbyists with significant political and financial pressure to back my opponent, Karen Pittman is STILL not palatable as a candidate,” Hoffman says.

Tampa Bay Chamber is an accredited not-for-profit membership organization recognized by education, community, business, and government leaders. The vision of this organization is an engaged and inclusive community driven by business prosperity. The event was held at Amalie Arena within District 65 and the results are more meaningful than other results as this straw poll was taken downtown Tampa encompassed within District 65 of the Florida State House. 

This win in which the votes amongst Republicans were split also indicates that Jake could potentially cruise through the general election against Democrat Jen McDonald. Jen is a progressive liberal who has not been able to convert NPA or Republican voters, unlike some other local Democrats in the same poll in different districts who were able to court Republicans. Reading between the lines, Hoffman is expected to have a significant edge in the business community going into the general election, due to his involvement within the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.

The results of the poll for State Representative District 65 are as follows: 
Jen McDonald (DEM) 37.09%, Jake Hoffman (REP) 28.64%, Karen Gonzalez Pittman (REP) 28.17%, and Michael C Minardi (REP) 6.1%. 

Jake Hoffman has established himself as a conservative leader in Tampa Bay having spent the last four years serving as the President of the TBYR organization. The organization has been credited with influencing significant legislation in Florida including the 2021 Election Integrity Bill and fought heavily for small business rights during the pandemic against an overbearing local government. Jake says, “We’re taking this as a huge win, but the real win is happening every day at the doors, where average Republican voters are overwhelmingly supporting my campaign; based on our internal numbers, this race has the potential to turn into a landslide victory. I’m sure they’re going to have to release some fake polling numbers from pay-for-play outlets like St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics next week to give her dwindling supporters false confidence because it’s not even close.”

Jake has the support of many local Republican groups and leaders in Tampa Bay. A small business co-founder, digital entrepreneur, and former President of The Tampa Bay Young Republicans, he is running to replace Jackie Toledo, who is not running for re-election but pursuing a bid for Congress. District 65 includes South Tampa, MacDill Air Force Base, Davis and Harbour Islands, and Westchase. Visit the website to learn more.