Tony Tsonis

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Tony Tsonis

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 18, 2020

Education

Associate

Valencia College, 2001

Bachelor's

University of Central Florida, 2003

Graduate

Georgia Southern University, 2004

Personal

Birthplace

Silver Spring, Md.

Religion

Christian, non-denominational

Profession

Sr. manager of campaign strategy at Hilton

Contact

Campaign Twitter

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Tony Tsonis (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 48. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 18, 2020.

Tsonis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Tsonis was born in Marion County, Florida. He earned an associate degree from Valencia College in 2001, a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in 2003, and a master's degree from Georgia Southern University in 2004. Tsonis' professional experience includes serving as the senior manager of campaign strategy for Hilton. He previously held management roles at Bright House Networks, Champs Sports, and XOS Digital.

Elections

2020

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Florida House of Representatives District 48

Daisy Morales defeated Jesus Martinez in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 48 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daisy Morales (D)	65.3	47,341
		Jesus Martinez (R)	34.7	25,197

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 72,538
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 48

Daisy Morales defeated Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Julio Rocha, Nelson Pena, and Tony Tsonis in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 48 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daisy Morales	39.9	4,897
		Samuel Vilchez Santiago	29.9	3,676
		Julio Rocha	10.7	1,309
	Submit photo	Nelson Pena	10.2	1,248
		Tony Tsonis	9.3	1,145

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,275
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Amy Mercado (D)
• Alex Taylor (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Jesus Martinez advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 48.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tony Tsonis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tsonis' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a lifelong Floridian, married, father of two and I work in marketing strategy in the hospitality industry. I'm active in my community, I attended Orange County Public Schools and I am proud alum of both Valencia, and UCF. I have a strong background in working both with small businesses and our state's travel industry. Throughout my career I have focused on solving problems for others. I hope to bring that same experience and passion to Tallahassee where I will fight for all Floridians and put workers first.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am fighting to put Florida's workers first.
• I will fight to improve our state's public schools and I will be a tireless advocate for our teachers.
• I understand that we can put workers first, and support our state's economy and industries at the same time.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about improving access to affordable housing, access to healthcare, and fixing the states broken unemployment system. In addition, I will support our states economy with efforts to bolster tourism, and diversification of our economy. I will fight to give our children the best future possible by improving our state's public education system. Further, I will fight for equality for all Floridians and for our environment.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I most admire my late mother. She was a single mom for much of my life and had to struggle to provide for us. She remains an inspiration to me to this day.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Ethics, accountability, and resiliency. I will always tell the truth to you, I will always take responsibility , and I will always pick myself and others up when we're down.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first major event I remember was the Challenger shuttle disaster. I was in the first grade in Orlando and remember seeing the shuttle launch and then the terrible explosion. It made an impression on me at a young age that life is fragile and that even heroes are human.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

One of my first jobs was at Wet 'n Wild, the iconic waterpark that used to exist at the corner of International Drive and Universal Blvd. I worked there throughout college and made many great friends. Working at Wet 'n Wild, I came into contact with travelers from all over the world and enjoyed getting to know my co-workers who came from all walks of life.

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mockingbird. This was the first book I read that really opened my eyes to how others, especially black Americans are mistreated.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Batman. Who doesn't want to be Batman? :-)

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The theme to the latest Disney movie, I have two kids so the music from those movies gets stuck in my head all the time.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have lost both my parents over the last several years including my father recently to coronavirus. I miss them terribly and I hope to make them proud as a I serve my state and community.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The Florida House is currently lopsided towards Republicans due to extensive gerrymandering. Ending this destructive process will make the Florida legislature more representative of the will of Floridians.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. I think its important that state legislators have a strong background in the professional world where hard decisions and accountability matter that experience doesn't have to come from government.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

In the near term, Florida's biggest challenge will be COVID-19. The pandemic is taking an outsized toll on our state's economy and people. Bridging our economy and public services through this crisis will be the immediate challenge in Tallahassee.

In the long term, Florida must make efforts to improve our environment and to diversify our economy.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

I believe that the state legislature's purpose is to not only develop legislation but also to provide oversight over the state's executive branch.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, building relationships is how things are accomplished in business and in government. I believe in working in a bi-partisan manner and I will champion good ideas no matter where they come from.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

We must end gerrymandering and draw districts that represent actual community boundaries without regard for voter registration.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. I ran for this office to serve the people of my district, and Florida. I don't have any interest in running for another office.

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

2020 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

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Current members of the New Hampshire State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Sharon Carson

Majority Leader:Regina Birdsell

Senators

District 1

David Rochefort (R)

District 2

Timothy Lang (R)

District 3

Mark McConkey (R)

District 4

David Watters (D)

District 5

Suzanne Prentiss (D)

District 6

James Gray (R)

District 7

Dan Innis (R)

District 8

Ruth Ward (R)

District 9

Denise Ricciardi (R)

District 10

Donovan Fenton (D)

District 11

Tim McGough (R)

District 12

Kevin Avard (R)

District 13

Lucinda Rosenwald (D)

District 14

Sharon Carson (R)

District 15

Tara Reardon (D)

District 16

Keith Murphy (R)

District 17

Howard Pearl (R)

District 18

Victoria Sullivan (R)

District 19

Regina Birdsell (R)

District 20

Patrick Long (D)

District 21

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (D)

District 22

Daryl Abbas (R)

District 23

William Gannon (R)

District 24

Debra Altschiller (D)

Republican Party (16)

Democratic Party (8)