Former state Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, won a closely watched Senate race Tuesday in Pinellas and Pasco counties, defeating former Rep. Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey.
Hooper carried both counties, winning more than 52 percent of the vote, according to numbers posted on the state Division of Elections website.
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The Senate District 16 seat has been vacant since the January resignation of former Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, after a sexual-harassment investigation. Hooper represented part of Pinellas County in the House from 2006 to 2014.