Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections candidates spar at political forum

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Republican Billy Christensen and Democratic Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club // Chris Young, WMNF News, 9/20/24

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On Friday, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections candidates took the stage at the Tiger Bay Club in Tampa

Republican Billy Christensen and Democratic incumbent Craig Latimer traded shots during the forum.

Latimer called out Christensen’s voting record.

“My opponent has had the opportunity to vote 18 times, and he’s voted eight times, and now all of a sudden he wants to be the supervisor of elections,” Latimer said.

But Christensen, a veteran, says he had valid reasons for not voting.

“I was fighting the wars. We’re deployed. It’s hard to vote,” Christensen said.

Christensen says Latimer got the most money statewide from a controversial multi-million dollar donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Latimer denied it.

“I got a newsflash for you, you’re lying again, Billy,” Latimer said.

And then Christensen fired back.

“This is the third time Mr. Latimer has called me a liar in a public forum. First off, I don’t appreciate it.” Christensen said.

But in a rare moment of unity, both candidates condemned the state’s investigation into the petition to add the abortion amendment to the ballot. 

Christensen did acknowledge President Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election, a question he refused to answer in an August interview with WMNF.

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