By Nicolás Rivero
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson moved one step closer to re-election after he decisively won the Republican primary Tuesday.
Simpson defeated his Republican rival Matt the Welder, a Plant City welder, mechanic and social media influencer who legally changed his name from Matthew Taylor.
Simpson’s well-funded campaign will now take on Democratic challenger Joey Atkins.
Atkins is a lawyer and sports agent who has provided legal aid for migrant farmworkers. His campaign calls for a moratorium on data centers and a rollback of legislation Simpson championed as Florida Senate president that shields sugar growers from air pollution lawsuits.
Simpson and his affiliated political committees have raised more than $4.8 million this year from outside sources including farmers, ranchers, food distributors, lobbyists and others with business before his department. Atkins has raised $1,685 and loaned his campaign $8,480.
Simpson, who owns a large egg farm in Pasco County, was president of the state Senate before becoming agriculture commissioner in 2023. His campaign emphasizes his first-term support for conservation easements, investment in fighting wildfires, enhancing the Florida Wildlife Corridor and Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat. He is endorsed by President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and 61 of the state’s 67 sheriffs.
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