Tom Keen (politician)

Charles Thomas Keen III (born April 9, 1956)[1] is an American politician, businessman, and former military pilot who is a member of the Florida House of Representatives, having won a January 2024 special election. A member of the Democratic Party, he represents the 35th district, located in central Florida, southeast of Orlando, and includes parts of the counties of Orange and Osceola.

Not to be confused with Tom Kean.
Tom Keen
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 35th district
Assumed office
January 16, 2024
Preceded byFred Hawkins
Personal details
Born
Charles Thomas Keen III

(1956-04-09) April 9, 1956
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLaura
Children2
EducationUniversity of Cincinnati (BA)

Early life and education

Keen has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati.[2]

Career

Keen served as a naval flight officer for the United States Navy for 21 years, and worked as a manager at Collins Aerospace at the time of his election to the state legislature.[2][3]

After an unsuccessful campaign for the 35th district of the Florida House of Representatives in 2022, in which he lost the primary by a mere 57 votes, in May 2023, Keen announced his candidacy for a special election to succeed State Representative Fred Hawkins, who resigned to become president of South Florida State College.[3] On November 7, 2023, he won the Democratic primary in what was considered an upset, as he had been outraised by his two opponents.[4] Both parties heavily invested into winning the special election, due to Hawkins's 11-point re-election win in 2022, while President Joe Biden had won the district by five points in 2020. Keen received the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel during the campaign.[5] In the special election on January 16, 2024, Keen defeated Republican nominee Erika Booth by roughly 2.6 percentage points, in a flip for his party.[3][6]

Personal life

Keen and his wife, Laura, have two adult children, and reside in Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida.[2][7]

Electoral history
2017 Orlando general election, City Commissioner District 1[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jim Gray (incumbent) 1,621 53.18%
Nonpartisan Tom Keen 1,208 38.63%
Nonpartisan Sunshine L. Grund 219 7.19%
Total votes 945,467 100.00
2022 Florida House of Representatives election, District 35 Democratic primary[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rishi Bagga 4,060 38.69%
Democratic Tom Keen 4,003 38.14%
Democratic Tahitiana Munoz-Chaffin 2,432 23.17%
Total votes 10,495 100.00
2024 Florida's 35th House of Representatives district special Democratic primary[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Keen 2,419 35.84%
Democratic Rishi Bagga 2,278 33.75%
Democratic Marucci Guzman 2,053 30.41%
Total votes 6,750 100.00
2024 Florida's 35th House of Representatives district special election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Tom Keen 11,390 51.33% +6.74%
Republican Erika Booth 10,800 48.67% -6.74%
Total votes 22,190 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

References
  1. "Tom Keen - 2022 - 2024 ( Speaker Renner )". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  2. Bridges, C. A. (January 17, 2024). "Tom Keen defeats Erika Booth, flips Florida House seat from Republican to Democrat. What to know". USA Today. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  3. Ogles, Jacob (January 16, 2024). "Tom Keen flips HD 35 from red to blue in critical Special Election". Florida Politics. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. Ogles, Jacob (November 8, 2023). "Tom Keen emerges as Democratic nominee in HD 35 Special Election". Florida Politics. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  5. "ENDORSEMENT: In House District 35, Tom Keen has shown he's ready to represent". Orlando Sentinel. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  6. Gowins, Max (January 16, 2024). "Special Election Results: Florida State House 35". Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  7. Zizo, Christie (January 15, 2024). "Meet the candidates in the Florida House District 35 special election". WKMG-TV. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  8. "2017 ORLANDO GENERAL ELECTION". Orange County Supervisor of Elections. November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  9. "August 23, 2022 Primary Election - Democratic Primary". Florida Department of State - Division of Elections. August 23, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  10. "November 7, 2023 Primary Election - House 35 - Democratic Primary". Florida Department of State - Division of Elections. November 7, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.


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