Democrats now need new candidate to challenge Neal Dunn for Congress

On Jul 26, 2024

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The Democratic candidate for a north Florida congressional seat has dropped out of this year’s race, forcing party honchos to select a replacement.

Democrat Meghann Hovey of Tallahassee, who had qualified to run for the 2nd Congressional District seat in June, notified the Florida Division of Elections this week she was withdrawing.

Now, Democratic leaders from 16 counties now must meet Monday to select a candidate to face incumbent Republican Neal Dunn of Panama City in November. Of note: Dunn, a urology surgeon, has won the seat by more than 60% margins in four races since 2016.

In a letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd that was first reported by the Florida Politics news site, Hovey gave no reason for bowing out but said her decision was timed so the party would have time to find a replacement.

Hovey was the last candidate to qualify this election cycle; rumors she would withdraw began earlier this month when Tallahassee attorney Yen Bailey started raising money and opened a campaign account.

Who is Yen Bailey, candidate for Congress?

Bailey earned a law degree at Florida State University in 2002 and has served as a Guardian Ad Litem lawyer, appointed by a court to represent the best interests of a child during legal proceedings, and as assistant ethics counsel for The Florida Bar.

She has been attorney for the Bailey Law Firm in Tallahassee and serves on the board of directors for the Friends of the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library.

When a candidate drops out of a race after qualifying for a ballot position, the chairs of county executive committees in the area meet and name a replacement. Leon County Democratic Executive Committee chair Ryan Ray has thrown his support to Bailey for when he and the 15 other chairs meet to name Hovey’s replacement.

“She’s got roots in the community and is the kind of person who represents north Florida people much better than Dr. Dunn, who has voted in lockstep with (U.S. House) Speaker Mike Johnson and (U.S. Rep.) Matt Gaetz,” Ray said.

District 2 is the state’s least urbanized and largest district by area. Half of the residents live in Panama City or Tallahassee, with the rest in small pockets scattered across forests and farmlands of its 16 counties.

Since winning the GOP nomination by 1,700 votes in 2016, Dunn has won reelection since and was unopposed in 2020. Most recently, he overcame a challenge from veteran lobbyist-state lawmaker Al Lawson, who took on Dunn when Lawson was redistricted out of his own seat that had stretched from Tallahassee to Jacksonville.

Dunn will be on his fifth 2-year term if elected this November.

To compare: In 2020, former President Donald Trump won the 16-county district by 11 points. And two years ago, when Ron DeSantis was reelected, the Florida governor posted a 24-point victory margin.

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.