Tom Keen | |
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Member of the FloridaHouseofRepresentatives from the 35th district | |
In office January 16, 2024 –November 5, 2024 | |
Preceded by | Fred Hawkins |
Succeeded by | Erika Booth |
Personal details | |
Born | Charles Thomas Keen III April 9,1956 Denver,Colorado,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Laura |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Cincinnati (BA) |
Charles Thomas Keen III (born April 9,1956) [1] is an American politician,businessman,and former military officer who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from January to November 2024. He won a January 2024 special election. A member of the Democratic Party,he represented the 35th district,located in central Florida,southeast of Orlando,and includes parts of the counties of Orange and Osceola.
Keen has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati. [2]
Keen joined the United States Navy and was designated a Naval Flight Officer after completing flight school in 1983.[ citation needed ] He specialized in airborne reconnaissance missions. Shore assignments included duty at the US Embassy in London.
He retired from active duty as a Commander (O-5) and worked as a manager at Collins Aerospace at the time of his election to the state legislature. [2] [3]
After an unsuccessful campaign for the 35th district of the Florida House of Representatives in 2022,in which he lost the primary by a mere 57 votes,in May 2023,Keen announced his candidacy for a special election to succeed State Representative Fred Hawkins,who resigned to become president of South Florida State College. [3] On November 7,2023,he won the Democratic primary in what was considered an upset,as he had been outraised by his two opponents. [4] Both parties heavily invested into winning the special election,due to Hawkins's 11-point re-election win in 2022,while President Joe Biden had won the district by five points in 2020. Keen received the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel during the campaign. [5] In the special election on January 16,2024,Keen defeated Republican nominee Erika Booth by roughly 2.6 percentage points,in a flip for his party. [3] [6]
Keen and his wife,Laura,have two adult children,and reside in Lake Nona,Orlando,Florida. [2] [7]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nonpartisan | Jim Gray (incumbent) | 1,621 | 53.18% | |
Nonpartisan | Tom Keen | 1,208 | 38.63% | |
Nonpartisan | Sunshine L. Grund | 219 | 7.19% | |
Total votes | 945,467 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Rishi Bagga | 4,060 | 38.69% | |
Democratic | Tom Keen | 4,003 | 38.14% | |
Democratic | Tahitiana Munoz-Chaffin | 2,432 | 23.17% | |
Total votes | 10,495 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Tom Keen | 2,419 | 35.84% | |
Democratic | Rishi Bagga | 2,278 | 33.75% | |
Democratic | Marucci Guzman | 2,053 | 30.41% | |
Total votes | 6,750 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Tom Keen | 11,390 | 51.33% | +6.74% | |
Republican | Erika Booth | 10,800 | 48.67% | −6.74% | |
Total votes | 22,190 | 100.00 | |||
Democratic gain from Republican |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Erika Booth | 47,863 | 51.98% | +3.31% | |
Democratic | Tom Keen | 44,209 | 48.02% | −3.31% | |
Total votes | 92,072 | 100.00 | |||
Republican gain from Democratic |