Orange County GOP chair Erin Huntley is hoping to oust freshman Democrat Leonard Spencer from his seat in the Florida House, a key battleground and a top target for state Republicans in November.
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Spencer, a 55-year-old Gotha businessman, was narrowly elected to House District 45 in 2024 after defeating scandal-plagued Republican State Rep. Carolina Amesty with about 51% of the vote, making him the only Florida Democrat who flipped a seat in the state House that year from red to blue.
Huntley, 46, of Windermere, is running to take back the wealthy suburban district, which takes in much of southwest Orange County, including Walt Disney World and Horizon West, as well as a slice of northwestern Osceola County. President Donald Trump won the district in 2024 by a little less than 1 percentage point.
Each spent time in the private sector before entering politics. Spencer is a senior manager at Amazon and former Disney executive, and Huntley, who became chair of the Orange County Republicans in 2022, previously held corporate leadership roles at Disney and JetBlue Airways.
Both candidates’ campaigns center on addressing Florida’s affordability crisis.
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Spencer said Huntley has focused on partisan politics during her tenure as the Orange GOP chair instead of issues that will make the lives of constituents better.
“They’ve got everyday bills, and they deserve a representative who’s going to be focused on delivering practical solutions,” Spencer said. “My focus is and always will be on putting the needs of the working families ahead of partisan politics.”
But Huntley told the Sentinel that Spencer hasn’t done enough to support the district during his tenure in the House.
“I’ll be able to get things done and provide relief, and really be one who is able to make meaningful gains,” she said. “Leonard Spencer is a very nice guy, [but] he’s been in office for two years, only passed one bill and only brought back minimal appropriations.”
Huntley has a significant advantage in funds, having raised about $277,000 and spent about $80,000.
In contrast, Spencer has raised about $93,000, including $17,500 he has loaned himself, and spent about $67,000 through his official campaign account. He also has about $72,000 in cash on hand from his political committee Friends of Leonard Spencer.
Spencer said while he may not have the advantage in resources, he’s engaging voters out in the field.
“It’s also equally important to say who’s out there shaking hands, who’s out there engaging with people to earn the trust, to earn the vote,” he said. “Even though we’re at a resource deficit, what I hope is that my proven track record, me getting out and meeting with folks, will help to continue to turn the tide.”
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Another dynamic that could affect the race is a toxic national environment for the GOP. Recent polls and analyses show Florida’s statewide contests tightening ahead of the election, which have made Democrats unusually hopeful in deep-red Florida.
But Spencer said that while he has heard reports of Democrats having momentum, he is not taking anything in the race for granted.
Huntley, asked if she was confident in the GOP’s chances, said she is confident that Florida voters will make what she says is the right choice.
“We’ve really made remarkable accomplishments as far as fiscal responsibility, education, public safety, and Florida is leading the country right now,” she said. “And it’s because the voters have trusted people to make common sense decisions. And I trust they’ll do that in this election as well.”
Spencer said he has secured millions of dollars for infrastructure projects in the district during his term and sponsored legislation authorizing the Florida Department of Transportation to fund the construction of vertiports, a type of flying car landing pad. The bill, passed with bipartisan support in a supermajority Republican Legislature, became law in July, and Spencer said it will help create high-wage jobs in the region and expand transportation options.
If re-elected, he plans to address affordability by combating rising property insurance premiums and strengthening accountability for insurance companies. He also wants to lower healthcare costs and improve transportation.
Spencer said he’s also focused on understanding the impact artificial intelligence will have on the economy. He’s sponsored legislation that directed the state to conduct a study on how AI and automation will impact Florida’s workforce. But while it was passed by the Legislature in 2025, it was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“We’ve got students who are not getting prepared for what the economy will be as it transforms with artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing,” he said. “These are things that we need to prepare our students for, if we’re going to remain competitive as a state and as a country.”
Huntley, also focused on affordability, said her first piece of legislation would be to institute a gas tax holiday that can help bring down rising fuel prices. She also wants to address property taxes and ensure relief for homestead property owners, as well as seeking to improve transportation infrastructure in the district to speed up road construction and reduce traffic congestion.
She also wants to expand educational opportunities for students, including helping them to find pathways to careers with little to no student debt and which they can start right out of high school.
The election is Nov. 3. Early voting begins Oct. 19 in Orange and Osceola counties.
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