Webster wins primary in new district
Rep. Daniel Webster is projected to win the GOP primary for a new district as he seeks to jump to Florida’s 11th District.
Webster defeated Justin Grabelle, former chief of staff of retiring GOP Rep. Rich Nugent.
{mosads}Webster, who launched two longshot bids for House Speaker last year, is the incumbent representative for the 10th District. He is seeking to jump to the 11th because his district’s boundaries were redrawn to make it more of a swing district.
However, Webster’s decision to run in the 11th District came after Nugent had already endorsed his former aide.
Grabelle touted his service to the district while serving as chief of staff to Webster and as a top aide to former Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.). But Webster, a fixture in Florida politics since the 1980s, ultimately prevailed over the first-time candidate.
Despite Webster’s status as an incumbent congressman, the redistricting meant that he had to campaign in a district in which he had previously represented only some of its communities.
Other incumbent GOP lawmakers running in new districts have faced uphill battles to win their respective primaries this year. In North Carolina, Rep. Renee Ellmers lost to fellow Rep. George Holding, while Rep. Robert Pittenger narrowly won his primary.
Webster became notorious for his underdog runs for House Speaker to protest House GOP leadership.
In January 2015, he ran against then-Speaker John Boehner (Ohio), winning 12 votes — more than any other alternative Speaker candidate. Nugent was one of the 12 to vote for Webster.
Both Webster and Nugent were swiftly kicked off the House Rules Committee, which decides how legislation is considered on the floor, as retribution for their votes against Boehner.
Later in 2015, after Boehner announced his retirement, Webster launched another run for the vacant Speakership. He initially won the endorsement of the House Freedom Caucus, which reportedly contributed to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (Calif.) decision to drop his candidacy for Speaker.
Paul Ryan (Wis.) eventually won the Speakership. Even after ending his run, Webster still picked up nine votes against Ryan.
At the time, it was unclear whether Webster would even have a district to run in. Webster eventually announced his decision to run in Nugent’s old district in February.
Webster will face Democrat Dave Koller in November for the safe GOP seat.
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