GOP’s Mast reelected to Florida House seat

Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) on Tuesday beat back a challenge from Democrat Lauren Baer, who had attempted to flip Florida’s 18th Congressional District.

Mast, an Army veteran who lost both of his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan, was widely expected to keep his seat. But he faced a tough challenge from Baer, a former foreign policy adviser in the Obama administration, who proved to be an adept fundraiser.

{mosads}Public polling in the race was limited, but a survey conducted late last month by Democratic pollster Change Research showed Mast with a 9-point lead.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report had put the race in the “Lean Republican” column before Election Day.

The first-term Republican drew criticism from some members of his party earlier this year when he threw his support behind a series of gun control measures in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.