The atmosphere at Visors Rooftop at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille was buzzing with excitement Tuesday night as Brian Kramer’s campaign waited for results in the state attorney race in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida. The vibes were high as people mingled, ate and watched closely as the polls were updated.
People cheered as it became evident that Kramer, 56, would serve another term in the circuit’s state attorney’s office. As of 10 p.m., Kramer, the Republican candidate, was carrying at least 56.9% of the vote.
“It feels like a giant relief to have the election behind us,” Kramer said. “We’ve worked really hard for the past 13 months.”
Kramer first ran for office in 2020. He ran unopposed in that election after filing a lawsuit in Leon County against his Democratic opponent, Beverly McCallum. He succeeded in disqualifying her candidacy because of a 15-day suspension in December 2019 from the Florida Bar.
This time around, Kramer was challenged by Democrat Yvens Pierre-Antoine, but he said their qualifications for the role set them far apart.
“I’m the most experienced person to run the office,” Kramer said. “I’m a community servant, I’ve dedicated almost my entire career to service this community, and I’ve been in this community for 56 years… my whole life”
Kramer completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science before moving on to Stetson University College of Law. There, he obtained his juris doctor and was admitted to the Florida Bar shortly after.
The incumbent has been a member of the bar for 31 years and served as an assistant state attorney for over 23 years. His start as a public defender at the beginning of his career gave him experience on both sides of the courtroom aisle.
Kramer said it’s his experience in all areas, not just criminal law, that makes him the better candidate over his opponent, Pierre-Antoine.
“He’s never been a barred prosecutor,” Kramer said. “He has observed prosecution and has observed it at close range, but he’s never prosecuted.”
Pierre-Antoine, 51, earned his undergraduate degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland College Park before graduating from the Florida Coastal School of Law. It was there that he earned his Juris Doctor degree.
Pierre-Antoine has lived in Gainesville for the past 24 years and established a solo practice in 2010 focused on criminal defense.
Both candidates self-funded their campaigns — Pierre-Antoine to the tune of $9,795, and Kramer spending $265,000.
With the reelection secured, Kramer said he knows his future vision along with some of his goals for the upcoming term can become reality, the first thing on his to-do list is increasing staff.
“It’s a constant struggle to hire and retain assistant state attorneys, so we’re working on that,” Kramer said. “We need not increase our staff because of the increase in caseloads.”
Until then, Kramer and his supporters get to soak in the victory and celebrate each other’s hard work that got them to this point. Kramer expressed his gratitude toward his team in a speech.
“I’ve said this before publicly, but I want to say it to you guys here, now,” Kramer said. “If you guys weren’t killing it every day like you do, performing with integrity, honesty, with the highest ethics and getting the results that you guys get day after day in the courtroom, this would’ve never happened.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
