Legislative Winners: Reed, Taylor, Rouson, Reagan

Posted Aug 26, 2008 by Kathy Steele

Updated Aug 26, 2008 at 10:38 PM

10:40 p.m.: Three Incumbents and one novice scored victories Tuesday in primary races for state House and Senate.

In a campaign that at times got personal, state Democratic Rep. Betty Reed defeated civil rights lawyer Warren Hope Dawson by a wide margin in the state House District 59 race.

Reed is a retired educator with a long history of community activism; Dawson is a lawyer with a distinguished civil rights record.

Two years ago Reed bested Dawson by a slim 307 votes in the Democratic primary and went on to defeat Republican Willis “KC” Bowick in the general election.

In state Senate District 11, Democratic newcomer Fred Taylor, 60, knocked off first-time candidate Richard Skandera.

Taylor, 60, entered the primary with the backing of the state Democratic Party, which sees him as someone who can knock incumbent Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, out office.

In the state House District 55 race, incumbent Democrat Darryl Rouson defeated Charles S. McKenzie Jr. for the second time in six months.

The two faced each other in a three-way race in March during a special election to replace Frank Peterman, who was appointed secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Rouson, 53, a private practice attorney and a former Pinellas County prosecutor, next faces write-in candidate Calvester Benjamin-Anderson to represent a district that stretches from south St. Petersburg into parts of Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

In the state House District 67 primary, Rep. Ron Reagan, a three-term Republican from Bradenton, defeated newcomer Kirk Faryniasz.

Reagan, who is in the insurance business, will face Democrat Richard Jackson and write-in candidate Ronald Rathburn in November.

District 67 includes Apollo Beach, Ruskin and part of Sun City Center in south Hillsborough County.