Former Rep. Tom Keen pulled off the upset and knocked off a longtime incumbent with a bigger war chest in the Orlando City Council election Tuesday.
Keen won with nearly 54% of the vote in the race for District 1 to oust Commissioner Jim Gray who captured 31% of the vote, according to unofficial election results. The other two candidates in the race, Sunshine Linda-Marie Grund and Manny Acosta, received nearly 10% and 5% of the vote, respectively.
When reached for comment Tuesday night, Keen said he was “over the moon” and surprised he won outright since he was expecting to go to a runoff election because of the crowded field.
His strategy had been knocking on doors and he said he wore out three pairs of tennis shoes during his campaign.
The election results were validation that Orlando is “really blue,” Keen said.
Echoed Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried in a statement, “Tonight’s victory shows that the pendulum is swinging and Democrats are the source. We flipped the last Republican seat on the Orlando City Commission and continue to prove that people-centered change is shifting the momentum across the state.”
The four-year term as City Commissioner pays $79,343 annually.
District 1, covering Lake Nona, the Orlando International Airport, Visa Park and Sunbridge, was one of three contested races to reshape the Orlando city government.
Some of the issues before the Orlando City Council include funding road improvement projects in busy corridors, modernizing Leu Gardens and adding a children’s garden, and building the Pulse Memorial.
Gray, who was first elected in 2012 and was the lone Republican serving on the Orlando City Council, picked up powerful endorsements of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, the Orlando Sentinel’s editorial board and the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association. Gray also raised the most money in the race, with a war chest of more than $127,000.
But in one of Florida’s bluest areas, Keen won endorsements from several Orlando Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and Eskamani, who is running for Mayor in 2027. Eskamani sent out reminders for people to vote midday Tuesday; Keen joined her campaign to connect with voters.
Keen said he had been knocking on doors and saw the potential for an upset to beat an incumbent.
Jayden D’Onofrio, a candidate for the House who runs Florida Future Leaders, a Gen Z-run GOTV organization, also got involved.
“Taking on Trump starts locally. That’s why Florida Future Leaders is proud to have knocked on over 11,000 doors for Tom Keen and oust a 13-year incumbent Republican from the Orlando City Commission,” he said.