Destine Baker Sutton adds throng of endorsers to her HD 89 campaign
‘These endorsements reflect the shared vision we have for a stronger, more inclusive District 89.’
Former prosecutor Destinie Baker Sutton is heading into qualifying week with a plethora of endorsements, including nods from many current and past public officials in and around Palm Beach County.
Baker Sutton’s campaign said more than 150 people are now backing her bid to succeed state Rep. David Silvers, a fellow Democrat, in House District 89.
Eighteen of them hold or held elected office.
That includes several newly announced endorsers like Miami state Rep. Ashley Gantt, Pahokee Mayor Keith Babbs, South Bay Mayor Joe Kyles, Belle Glade Mayor Steve Wilson, Haverhill Vice Mayor Lawrence Gordon, North Palm Beach Vice Mayor Deborah Searcy and West Palm Beach Commissioner Christina Lambert.
Former state Reps. Joe Gibbons and Addie Greene and ex-Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay have gotten behind Baker Sutton as well, her campaign said.
They join several endorsers she announced in April, including U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Lois Frankel, Broward County State Attorney Harold Pryor, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James, Haverhill Council member Theresa Johnson, West Palm Beach Commissioner Shalonda Williams, Westlake Council member Charlotte Leonard and former Westlake Vice Mayor Katrina Long-Robinson.
Women’s Issues NOW and the Fraternal Order of Police have also endorsed her.
Baker Sutton also shared a list of 139 “community leaders” who have thrown support behind her campaign too. An overwhelming share of them live or work in or a short drive from HD 89.
“Receiving such overwhelming support from a diverse group of leaders and organizations is incredibly humbling and energizing,” Baker Sutton said in a statement.
“These endorsements reflect the shared vision we have for a stronger, more inclusive District 89. Together, we will continue, focusing on creating opportunities and improving the quality of life for all.”
Baker Sutton, who went into private practice in 2019 after more than a decade of government legal work, is set to take on nonprofit executive Deborah Tendrich in the Aug. 20 Democratic Primary.
One Republican is also running: Daniel Zapata, a local private school administrator.
Lately a toss-up district, HD 89 covers a large inland portion of Palm Beach County stretching east from Greenacres to Lake Worth Beach, north from Atlantis to Cloud Lake and containing Lake Clarke Shores and Palm Springs.
The qualifying period for state office candidates runs from noon June 10 to noon June 14.
The General Election is on Nov. 5.