Rep. Holder a true shoo-in

SARASOTA — The sole opposing candidate against Florida State Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, who is running for election in newly created District 74, has withdrawn from the race.

North Port area businessman Andrew Saltman, registered as a Democrat, officially withdrew his candidacy last week. But the ballots for the election have already been printed, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent told the Business Review today, and Saltman's name will be on it. So a vote for Saltman, says Dent, won't count.

There are no other candidates in the race, though Holder can't officially win or be certified a winner until after the election. “He will not win until Nov. 6,” says Dent. “But essentially, if he votes for himself, he will win.”

Holder, in an interview today with the Business Review, says he will still raise money and promote other Republican candidates between now and Election Day. “It's certainly an honor to be elected by the people of District 74,” says Holder, of the area that includes a large swath of south Sarasota County.

Holder has won three previous elections, all for District 70, an area a little more to the north of District 74. A win in District 74 would be the last two-year term in the Florida House for Holder due to term limits.

Holder, who has previously served as Chairman of the Business & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee and the Congressional Redistricting Committee, says he will focus on jobs and economic development during the next Legislative session. “They go hand-in-hand,” says Holder, a Realtor and small business owner. “That's been my focus for six years.”