Gov. Ron DeSantis is throwing his weight behind Chris Nocco, the current Pasco County Sheriff, running in Senate District 21 to replace outgoing Senate budget leader Ed Hooper.
In a post on X, DeSantis said he was proud to back Nocco.
“He has done a great job as Pasco Sheriff, stands fully behind our property tax elimination efforts, and will be a strong conservative voice in the State Legislature,” DeSantis wrote.
Nocco jumped into the race last month after Hooper announced he was retiring from politics two years before his term ended.
Nocco has been enjoying a flurry of support since jumping into the race, including nods last week from U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, and the Sun Coast, West Central Florida and Tampa Police Benevolent Associations.
Prior to that, he rounded up support from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, and U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Laurel Lee and Anna Paulina Luna.
Nocco has also already earned support from some of his would-be colleagues in the Senate, including state Sens. Danny Burgess, Nick DiCeglie, Tom Leek and Debbie Mayfield.
Nocco is also running with endorsements from members of the lower chamber, including state Reps. Adam Anderson and Brad Yeager.
Endorsements also rolled in from local officials, including Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Pinellas County Tax Collector Adam Ross; Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano and Pasco County Commissioner Lisa Yeager; and 6th Judicial Court State Attorney Bruce Bartlett, whose jurisdiction spans both Pinellas and Pasco counties.
Nocco also earned support from former House Speaker Chris Sprowls.
Nocco entered the race already with key support from Senate President-designate Jim Boyd and state Sen. Jay Trumbull, who issued a joint endorsement just minutes after Hooper’s announcement.
Nocco’s challenge in succeeding Hooper comes not in a General Election — Republicans have a major voter registration advantage in the north Pinellas and southern Pasco District — but rather in a GOP Primary should anyone else enter the race.
Republicans account for nearly 45% of the District’s electorate, while Democrats account for just a quarter of voters. The rest are either political independents or are registered to a minor party. While SD 21 is a long way from the state’s most conservative District, it’s still ruby red.
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