Among the offices being decided on Election Day is the Florida House District 1 seat, one of the few local legislative races with an incumbent, Republican Clay Ingram.
The “domino effect” from Congressman Jeff Miller’s decision to step down did get state Representative Clay Ingram thinking about seeking another elected seat, either Miller’s or one in the Florida Senate. After all the thought and consideration Ingram, who was first elected to the seat in 2010, then decided to run for reelection to a third and final term in District-1.
“It would almost be a shame to throw away all that hard work, in the last two years when you’ve built up clout,” said Ingram. “And have the ability to get some things done for the district.”
Ingram looks back at numerous legislative actions during his tenure that he’s proud to have lent a helping hand include reorganizing state government and assisting veterans moving into civilian life.
“We actually eliminated some state agencies which, as a conservative Republican, is sort of like the Holy Grail,” Ingram said. “One of the proudest things I’ve worked on is, when someone transitions out of the military, if they want to stay in Florida and get a job in Florida, they don’t have to pay any longer for a professional license.”
Ingram is also among the Republicans in Florida who are standing with their party’s nominee for President, Donald Trump. He concedes that supporting Trump may cause some blowback. But for him, it’s about the future of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“That’s the legacy of the next president, the Supreme Court appointees,” said Ingram. “With Donald Trump I think the potential’s there that he would appoint justices that I would be in agreement on where they would rule.”
Speaking of president, Ingram’s day job is President of the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. He expected some overlap between that post and his elected position, but is shocked that it’s there in almost every situation.
“Fortunately for me, there an agreement on where the chamber and I stand personally on legislative issues fall,” Ingram said. “I’m sure there’s potential in the future for some conflict, whether it’s a taxing issue or something like that. But so far, that has not been an issue.”
If reelected on November 8, Ingram, who’s 38, will enter into his final term because of limits. He was asked about his political future beyond House District-1.
“Not that I would never run for office again, but you need to be motivated and motivated from the right perspective,” says Ingram. “There’s not another office I want to go run for right now, or one that I’ve identified.”
On Monday, we hear from NPA (No Party Affiliation) candidate Bill Fetke.
