BOCA RATON – State Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, is still being challenged in the Nov. 6 election. But not by the same person who declared her candidacy for the seat earlier this year.
The Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee recently met and selected former Florida House Speaker Tom Gustafson to oppose Hager for the seat in District 89 – which is the redesigned District 87.
Gustafson got the nod on a 139-0 vote during a special committee session held in West Delray Beach. He replaces Pamela Goodman, who withdrew from the race because of concerns about her husband’s health.
The 62-year-old Gustafson represented a Broward County House district and was speaker from 1988 to 1990, when Democrats controlled the legislature. He is a resident of Wellington, but said he plans to move to District 89, which runs along the coastline from Boca Raton to the Singer Island section of Riviera Beach.
Hager is a former member of the Boca Raton City Council who succeeded Republican Adam Hasner as the state rep in the former District 87. Hasner is running this year for the U.S. Congress seat in District 22.