The News-Press: Two Dems head to primary election to take on Greg Steube, one NPA in November

By Amy Bennet Williams

In U.S. Congressional District 17, Republican incumbent Greg Steube has two Democratic opponents and one without party affiliation – or any campaign funds.

Steube, 48, who’s consistently won by nearly 30 points since 2018, is running in the solidly GOP district that includes all of Charlotte and parts of Sarasota and Lee counties.

It’s a district that has shifted shapes in recent years, resulting in a more diverse and urban version than the one voters saw after the 2022 redistricting.

Florida’s latest congressional redistricting pushed 17 deeper into Lee County, adding portions of Fort Myers, including the historically Black Dunbar community, while continuing to include all of Charlotte and much of Sarasota County. That county has gone back and forth and back again: starting with an in-county split between districts 16 and 17, then becoming all 17, then returning to “a pre-2022 scenario,” as Sarasota’s Supervisor of Elections’ website describes it.

The Aug.18 primaries will decide which Democrat will be on the November ballot.

Only registered Democrats can participate in their party’s primary, but all registered voters can vote in the Nov. 3 general election. Candidates with no party affiliation go straight to that November ballot, with no limits on how many unaffiliated candidates can appear, since they don't belong to a party.

Here are the candidates:

Babcock Democrat focuses on prosperity

Allen Spence Jr., 43, is focused on "delivering real economic prosperity for our communities, and securing the long-term stability of our nation (and) protecting Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security," according to his website.

Florida-born, Fort Myers-raised and USF-educated, he works in finance remotely from his Babcock Ranch home. He's also involved in scouting, and has served as a scout leader.

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