Elect Charles Dean for State Senate, District 3

Citrus County Chronicle
June 6, 2007

Citrus pushes Dean in

Charlie Dean’s home turf proved a bigger advantage than Dennis Baxley’s.

Citrus County Republicans vaulted Dean in the June 26 special election for state Senate District 3 over Rep. Dennis Baxley, whose support in his home Marion County was substantial but not enough.

“God, do I love Citrus County!” a jubilant Dean said Tuesday night. “They are the wind beneath my wings and they came through for me. My hometown, my county said the hell with the world, we’re going with our guy.”

Republican voter turnout in Citrus County was 24 percent. Democrat turnout was 11 percent.

Suzan Franks of Citrus Hills won the Democrat primary over Mark Ravenscraft of Tallahassee, assuring Citrus County of retaining the Senate seat vacated with Nancy Argenziano’s appointment to the Public Service Commission. Franks, a former member of the New Hampshire legislature, said the two primaries were vastly different and showed voters what to expect between now and the special election.

“Mark Ravenscraft and I presented to the voters a positive and respectful race,” she said. “The Republican race has been marred by negative attacks and campaigning. I expect these attacks to increase in general election.”

Just 378 votes separated Dean from Baxley, but that was plenty in a primary where Republican voter turnout was predictably low.

Dean, a five-year legislator from Inverness and the former Citrus County sheriff, won the 13-county district primary with 45 percent of the vote. Baxley, a seven-year legislator from Ocala, finished with 44 percent. Perry forester Don Curtis was third.

Although Marion County has the edge in registered Republicans in District 3, Citrus County had a larger voter turnout.

Dean took 64 percent of the Citrus County votes to Baxley’s 28 percent. In Marion, Baxley had 60 percent to Baxley’s 31 percent. They generally split the other counties where voter turnout was in the handful of hundreds; Curtis won Taylor County, where he lives.

Neither Baxley nor Curtis was available for comment.

Dean said he stayed focus in the brief campaign.

“I think it’s about hard work, perseverance, staying with your plan, overcoming all the distractions of negative campaign,” he said. “If you’re a tough old bird you can win.”

Dean already holds a significant advantage over Franks in the campaign money department. Dean raised $304,718 and spent a little more than half that on the primary. Franks raised $3,944, loaned her campaign $3,900 and spent $5,296.