Andrew Warren loses his bid to become Hillsborough’s state attorney again

Andrew Warren’s long quest to regain his job as Hillsborough County’s chief prosecutor hit a wall on Election Day. Warren got a thumbs down in the race for the county’s chief prosecutor.

Warren was defeated by his appointed successor, while Suzy Lopez defeated the twice-elected Warren by a vote of 53 to 47%.

Lopez described the past 27 months as “an incredible journey.”

“And it ends tonight with a win, and it’s really, it’s just emotional,” Lopez said at her election watch party at Hotel Haya in Ybor City. “I am the first duly elected female prosecutor in my hometown, and a win for my office at this point is a win for our law enforcement partners, for our community partners, and I can’t wait to see what we do next. what we need to do in the next four years.”

Lopez, a former judge, was appointed Hillsborough’s state attorney two years ago after Warren was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Warren, a Democrat, was removed from office by the Republican governor after signing a pledge not to prosecute cases related to new state laws on transgender health care and abortion.

Warren said he was still the duly elected chief prosecutor who was the victim of a politically motivated move by the Republican governor.

“I am proud of the race we ran. The best candidate doesn’t always win, especially when the other side cheats – illegally suspends you and then spends millions of dollars on you,” he said in a statement after the polls closed. “But today’s result does not change the facts. : I made Hillsborough safer, improved the system and fought for our freedoms and values. I want only the best for our community, and I hope Ms. Lopez grows into this role to become an effective and independent prosecutor – not beholden to the governor or sheriff, but accountable to the people.”

Lopez worked on a law and order platform and said she is tougher on crime than Warren. Her campaign slogan was “Safer with Suzy,” drawing a sharp distinction between her and the progressive Warren. She was endorsed by Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister, who appeared with her in campaign ads.

Lopez said a top priority for her over the next four years is continuing to work with the community and law enforcement to keep Hillsborough County safe, adding that she is most proud of rebuilding relationships with law enforcement partners.

“And we did that,” she said Tuesday evening. “The relationships were broken and now they are very strong. We have given victims and their families a voice, and we are holding perpetrators accountable. If you commit a crime in Hillsborough County, you will be held accountable.”

Among the roughly 100 supporters at her watch party in Ybor City were two big names in local law enforcement: former Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan and former interim Tampa Police Chief Ruben Delgado. Delgado said Lopez was exactly what this county needed when she first came here.

“She is the right person at the right time. You know, help reduce crime here in the city, and that’s what you need in the DA. You need someone who is going to focus on working with law enforcement,” Delgado said.

“Her relationship with Sheriff Chronister, her relationship with the Tampa Police Department, is second to none,” he said. “And that’s what you need for a successful public crime reduction strategy in the province.”

Lopez raised $625,000 in campaign contributions, including $1,000 from former State’s Attorney Mark Ober, who defeated Warren in 2016. Warren raised $564,000, including $5,000 from the Florida Democratic Party.

Warren said in January that he would not run this year. But that was in the past a federal appeals court ruled that a lower court should consider Warren’s argument that statements he made on current issues such as abortion constituted political advocacy protected by the First Amendment. A federal judge has never ruled on the case, and it has been called into question by Tuesday’s election.

The governor’s office said after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court ruled in Warren’s favor that it sets a “dangerous precedent” that could allow politically motivated prosecutors to ignore laws they oppose.

Warren said of the federal case: “If we lose, the election in the state of Florida may become meaningless because it means the governor can simply remove from office whoever he wants, for any reason, whenever he wants.” . “

There was no love lost between the two candidates, who had starkly different views on law enforcement.

During a debate at the Tampa Tiger Club earlier this year, Lopez said this after noting that she had taken an oath to defend the Constitution.

“You might as well just take that oath and honestly wipe a dog’s backside with it because that oath is what we’re here to do,” Lopez said. “My predecessor also took an oath (but failed) to prosecute entire categories of crime and (signed) a pledge that he would not prosecute certain categories of crime.”

Lopez said at the time that this race was about who will keep Hillsborough County safer.

“When I became district attorney, my mission was to clean up the mess left by my predecessor,” Lopez said. “I have rebuilt our relationships with our law enforcement partners. Those relationships were broken at some point. I have given a voice to the victims and their families and I have held perpetrators accountable.”