Roach, Fornear set to square off in District 79
By CHUCK BALLARO
Spencer Roach, the incumbent in State House District 79, easily won a Republican primary challenge and now will face Democrat Danika Fornear in November.
Roach won his primary against Randy Allen-Scott by an almost 3 to 1 margin, garnering 73.26 percent of the vote among the 14,744 votes cast.
Roach said that even though his victory in the primary was significant, he worked as hard as ever to make sure he won and plans to do the same for the General Election.
“My seat is a relatively safe Republican seat, but it’s also the weakest among the four seats in Lee County, so I have the most competitive General Election,” Roach said. “We’re taking the race very seriously.”
Fornear said she has been campaigning through both old school and modern outside-the-box methods and is hoping to get Roach to take part in some political forums or debates.
“We’re getting our signs out and putting them all over the district. We have bumper stickers and buttons and we’re going to be doing a ‘Tour de District’ where we get on our bikes and invite others on wheels to hold signs and put out lime green flags and do a meet-and-greet,” she said.
Roach said he is taking nothing for granted.
“There seems to be an anti-incumbency movement going on. A lot of them lost their primaries, which is an interesting dynamic,” Roach said. There are certainly no guarantees anymore.”
Fornear knows she faces an uphill climb in a district that is deep red, but maintains that the tide is beginning to turn in the wake of Trump’s presidency.
“I think people have had enough of that. We need a big change and new blood who have different ideas. I think as long as we can get the word out, we’ll have a very good turnout this year,” Fornear said. “I will be there to support and listen to everyone, not just those in the party.
Fornear said she will draft legislation aimed at local interests and not worry as much about Key West, because that’s what the people want.
Roach said he has seen a shift in the Democratic Party from moderate to an “extreme radical, socialist” agenda on issues ranging from health care to mask mandates.
“I think you see a real difference in philosophy between Democrats and Republicans and it’s a shame it’s become political,” Roach said. “One side is calling for stricter government control and the Republicans embrace more individual responsibility and freedom.”
District 79 includes much of north and east Lee County, including North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres and Alva.