The unexpected death of April Freeman, the Democratic Party’s congressional candidate from Florida, has shocked both the local community as well as the world of politics.
Freeman, who was 54 years old, has reportedly suffered a heart attack with a fatal outcome.
The news was delivered by Freeman’s husband, David Freeman, in a social media post.
Freeman was up against Republican candidate Sen. Greg Steube, both aiming to replace Rep. Tom Rooney in the 17th District seat.
Freeman’s passing is mourned deeply by those around her, with many of her colleagues commending her career in politics and her strong work ethic, especially regarding her dedication to her job.
She was described as an inspiration to all of her coworkers, and her passing is being mourned as a huge loss for both the Democratic party as well as her family members.
As for the upcoming election, representatives have confirmed that Freeman’s name will still be listed in the upcoming ballot in November, but the party will be given an opportunity to replace her position with someone else as they see fit.
The issue, according to the statement, is that the current ballot has already been printed and it would be too inconvenient to make any alterations to it at this stage.
The party has not announced their plans for Freeman’s replacement, and it is likely that they are going to take some time to reach a decision in the first place.
The party is unsure how to proceed at this point because Freeman had a lot of support for her candidacy. She had earned the nomination of her party for the congressional seat with over 77 percent of the votes.
Chair of the Sarasota County Democratic Party JoAnne Devries stated, “Right now we are just, for anyone that is interested in becoming a nominee, sending them to Terrie Rizo.”
No reports have come out in this regard, and many are focused on the situation from this perspective.
