PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -Republican Mike Hill has defeated Democrat Jeremy Lau for the vacant state House District 2 seat. Hill carried about 58 percent of the vote in the Northwest Florida district, which includes Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The 55-year old Hill is an insurance agent and a tea party favorite. He will fill the seat left by the death of Rep. Clay Ford, who died in March after a battle with cancer.
The Pensacola News Journal reports that Hill will be the first African-American state representative from the area in recent times.
Lau, an aircraft mechanic for a military contractor, tried to make an issue of the Republican-led legislature's refusal to expand Medicaid even though federal dollars would cover most costs under the federal health care law.
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