Kathleen Peters: Difference between revisions

| alma_mater=[[St. Petersburg College]] (A.A.[[Associate of Arts|AA]])<br>[[Eckerd College]] (B.A.[[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])

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'''Kathleen M. Peters''' (born February 27, 1961) is aan American politician of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] politician and a former member of the [[Florida House of Representatives]], representing the 69th District, which includes southern [[Pinellas County, Florida|Pinellas County]], stretching from [[Redington Shores, Florida|Redington Shores]] to [[St. Pete Beach, Florida|St. Pete Beach]], from 2012 to 2018.

Peters currently serves on the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, having announced in 2017 that she would not seek re-election the Florida House in order to run for a seat on the commission.

Following the death of Republican [[United States Congress]]man [[Bill Young (Florida politician)|Bill Young]] on October 18, 2013, a [[Florida's 13th congressional district special election, 2014|special election]] was held to replace him. On November 19, 2013, Peters announced that she would run to replace him, declaring that she would fight "the weak-willed, the preening and the posturing men" responsible for the dysfunction of the federal government. At her campaign's kickoff, she was introduced by, among others, Young's son, Bill Young II, and [[Florida Senate|State Senator]] [[Jack Latvala]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/state-rep-kathleen-peters-announces-campaign-for-district-13-congressional/2153158|title=State Rep. Kathleen Peters enters Pinellas congressional race, creating a GOP contest|date=November 19, 2013|accessdate=May 7, 2014|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|first=Curtis|last=Krueger}}</ref> In the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] primary, she faced [[David Jolly]], a former aide to Young, and retired General [[Mark Bircher]]. During the course of the campaign, Peters received the support of a number of serving members of Congress, including [[Diane Black]], [[Lynn Jenkins]], and [[Ann Wagner]], all of whom sought to increase the amountnumber of Republican women in their caucus, and who helped Peters fundraise.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/house_gop_women_gamble_in_florida_special-229950-1.html?pg=1&dczone=politics|title=House GOP Women Gamble in Florida Special|date=January 6, 2014|accessdate=May 7, 2014|work=[[Roll Call]]|first=Abby|last=Livingston}}</ref> She received the endorsement of the ''[[Tampa Bay Times]]'' in her bid, which noted that, following Young's death, "[T]he best-known and best-qualified potential candidates declined to run," but that Peters "has the local experience and temperament to succeed even though she has a lot to learn about federal issues."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/times-recommends-kathleen-peters-for-us-house-gop-primary/2157297|title=Times recommends: Kathleen Peters for U.S. House GOP primary|date=December 16, 2013|accessdate=May 7, 2014|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]}}</ref> The ''[[Tampa Tribune]]'', meanwhile, endorsed Jolly over Peters, criticizing her for having a "knowledge of the issues facing Congress" that "only skims the surface," though praising her for her "reputation for doggedness" and for her efforts in "pushing through a measure that eliminated a tax inequity affecting condominium owners."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-editorials/tribune-endorses-david-jolly-for-district-13-gop-primary-20131222/|title=Tribune endorses David Jolly for District 13 GOP primary|date=December 22, 2013|accessdate=May 7, 2014|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|archive-date=December 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224095827/http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-editorials/tribune-endorses-david-jolly-for-district-13-gop-primary-20131222/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ultimately, however, Peters was defeated by Jolly, who had consistently performed better than her in public polls and in terms of fundraising, and she received 31% of the vote to Jolly's 45% and Bircher's 24%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tbo.com/tb/sections/jolly-captures-dist-13-republican-primary-20140114/|title=Jolly captures Dist. 13 Republican primary|date=January 14, 2014|accessdate=May 7, 2014|work=[[Tampa Tribune]]|first=Kate|last=Bradshaw}}</ref> Jolly would go on to win the election against [[Alex Sink]], the Democratic nominee and the former [[Chief Financial Officer of Florida]].

[[Category:MembersRepublican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives]]

[[Category:21st-century American politicianslegislators]]