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Jolly Is Frontrunner in Florida’s Special Election Primary

Republicans will pick a nominee Tuesday for the special election for the late Rep. C.W. Bill Young’s Florida seat.

Most Republicans closely watching the primary predict lobbyist David Jolly, a former Young aide, will defeat state Rep. Kathleen Peters and veteran Mark Bircher in the 13th District.

“I don’t think there are any surprises coming tomorrow,” Florida GOP consultant Rick Wilson said. “Every bit of information I’ve seen so far says that David’s going to have a good day tomorrow.”

Women in the House Republican Conference have been supporting Peters.

The GOP winner will take on former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink in the March 11 general election. Democrats cleared the field for Sink, and she recently reported more than $1 million in cash on hand.

This special election marks the first major competitive House race of 2014, and many insiders view it as a harbinger for the cycle. Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee are expected to invest in the race.

The race is rated Tossup by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

Polls close at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday in the St. Petersburg-based district.

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