Hillsborough Commission race could shift balance of increasingly red county
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Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The Hillsborough Commission race between state Rep. Sean Shaw (D) and firefighter Chris Boles (R) will serve as a litmus test for how red the county has become.
Why it matters: If the countywide District 6 seat turns red, local Democrats will be as powerless as their counterparts in the state Legislature.
Catch up quick: Republicans wrested control of Hillsborough County from Democrats in 2022 and have leveraged that power to torpedo Pride commendations, slash affordable housing programs and more.
- Commissioner Pat Kemp (D) is term-limited, and all voters in Hillsborough County can weigh in on who succeeds her.
- It's the one commission race where the Democrat is neither being outraised nor outspent and the party's best chance at a win.
Zoom in: Shaw is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Florida Law School. He served one term in the state House and was the first African-American nominee for Attorney General.
- Boles served as a battalion chief at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. He graduated from Columbia Southern University.
- Shaw has raised over $183,000 and has spent about $130,000, while Boles has raked in almost $160,000 and spent $104,000.
The big picture: Boles vows to end "wasteful spending" in the county's budget — a common refrain among the commission's newest members, who have tried (and failed) to ax the arts and nonprofits.
- Roads are where Boles and Shaw's priorities meet, but their goals split from there: Boles wants a larger budget allocation for first responders, while Shaw aims to build more affordable housing.
- The commission is already divided on how to address affordable housing; Republicans have pulled back funding for the issue and shut down a program that waived impact fees for developers.
The intrigue: Republicans came close to ending the county's affordable housing trust last month; support from three Democrats on the commission and a swing vote from Commissioner Ken Hagan (R) saved it.
The commission later looked to that fund to help those who were displaced in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.