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Elizabeth Martinez Strauss
Elizabeth Martinez Strauss (Democratic Party) ran for election for Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 20, 2024.
Martinez Strauss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Strauss obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Florida and a law degree from Stetson University. After graduating from law school, Strauss worked as an assistant public defender in Tampa. Strauss later served as chief of the Violent Crimes Unit in the New Orleans District Attorney's office. As of the 2024 election, Strauss worked as a defense attorney.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Hillsborough County, Florida (2024)
General election
General election for Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney
Incumbent Suzy Lopez defeated Andrew Warren in the general election for Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Suzy Lopez (R) | 52.7 | 344,065 |
 | Andrew Warren (D) | 47.3 | 309,313 | |
| Total votes: 653,378 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney
Andrew Warren defeated Elizabeth Martinez Strauss in the Democratic primary for Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andrew Warren | 70.3 | 48,896 |
 | Elizabeth Martinez Strauss | 29.7 | 20,655 | |
| Total votes: 69,551 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Suzy Lopez advanced from the Republican primary for Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Martinez Strauss in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released May 22, 2024 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Elizabeth Martinez Strauss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Martinez Strauss' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My career started as a public defender, then I became a state prosecutor exclusively handling murder and rape cases that carried mandatory minimum life sentences. Since leaving public service, I have worked in private practice as a criminal defense attorney.
As the only candidate that has gone to trial against the State Attorney's office, I have seen the real-world implications of the unfair practices that need to change. I have never had any ambition for politics. When I was six years old, my mother married a man on death row. It was extremely public and caused me to shy away from media attention. I am not doing this because I want to, I am doing it because the people of Hillsborough need a public servant, not a politician.
The State Attorney's office has become too political. My Democratic primary opponent is too far left which is why DeSantis removed him and my Republican opponent is too far right which is why DeSantis appointed her. I offer the people a common-sense balance. It is time to put people over politics.- I am the Democratic candidate best suited to beat the Republican opponent in November. I would be the first female ever elected as State Attorney in Hillsborough County. Like me, the Republican is a Hispanic female. I neutralize these two key demographic characteristics. My Democratic primary opponent is a rich white male who is not from Hillsborough County and spent most of his career in D.C. This election is going to be largely driven by women voters, many of whom are moderates. The stakes are too high to gamble and we need someone who can bring the office back to basics with a fresh perspective.
- I believe in supporting hard working Americans and providing a fair opportunity to people from all backgrounds, but I am moderate in terms of my tone and tactics. The State Attorney position is a political one, but it should not be. The job is to fairly apply the laws using sound discretion. My Democratic opponent was unfairly removed by the governor for making the office too political. But, just because the governor abused his authority does not change the reality that he was able to do it. You cannot help anybody if you cannot stay in office. Moderate Democrat State Attorneys were not removed by the governor. I will put the people of Hillsborough County over party politics.
- I have a decade of experience exclusively in criminal law. I am the only candidate in this race that has served as both a criminal defense lawyer and a prosecutor. I am the only candidate that has been a small-business owner in Hillsborough County. I have sat with people accused of crimes and people who have been the victims of crime. This gives me a unique perspective about the proper balance that is necessary in the criminal justice system. Both of my opponents have been career prosecutors. Justice to me is firm, but fair. We are going to hold people fully accountable for their crimes, while considering every side and showing compassion when justice requires it.
The ability to serve is important because we just saw this impact President Biden's honorable decision to step down. No matter what a candidate's past record is, they must be able to hold the office going forward. Making this a priority does not disrespect their accomplishments but is a practical reality.
The policy decisions set the tone for the office, but standing alone are inadequate. The State Attorney must ensure assistant state
attorneys are trained properly so that they may execute the job efficiently and righteously. After ensuring the training program is sufficient, the State Attorney must supervise and mentor assistant state attorneys to develop them.My administration will focus on creating an environment that fosters long-term employee retention. We will develop our attorneys into the most skilled practitioners in the state. Simply put, we will invest in our people so they may best serve our people.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney |
Personal |
Footnotes
