• Charlie Stone, a former state legislator, received an endorsement from NFIB Florida PAC in a five-way Republican primary for HD 24.
• The endorsement was based on Stone’s track record and experience with small business issues, which were highly valued by NFIB.
• Small business owners and their employees are known for actively voting and recruiting others to vote, making NFIB’s PAC endorsement potentially influential in the upcoming election.

In a five-way Republican scrum for HD 24, Charlie Stone has locked up a coveted endorsement from the National Federal of Independent Businesses (NFIB) Florida PAC. The NFIB Florida PAC is comprised solely of NFIB small business members.

Stone is in a close contest against Ryan Chamberlin, Jose Juarez and two others. While Chamberlin leads in fundraising, a recent poll also showed him with a small lead over both Juarez and Stone. But NFIB values Stone’s previous legislative experience and track record, an edge he holds over both Chamberlin and Juarez, as the group noted in its endorsement announcement. NFIB says its PAC endorsement is based on the candidate’s positions and their record on small business issues. Stone, with an eight-year track record, was an easy choice for the group,

“Charlie Stone is clearly the best candidate for small business,” said NFIB Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle. “Charlie achieved a 100 percent NFIB voting record when he served in the state legislature from 2012 to 2020. He clearly understands the challenges facing Main Street businesses and will be a strong advocate for Florida’s job creators in Tallahassee.”

A number of recent independent surveys have shown that small business owners are extremely likely to vote in elections – ranging from 85 percent in last year’s mid-term election to 95 percent of all respondents in a 2020 Gallup poll ahead of the presidential election. And while those numbers will likely not be nearly that high for a special election in early March, NFIB’s PAC endorsement could still prove critical to Stone’s campaign. According to NFIB, small business owners and their employees vote not only vote in high numbers but are known for actively recruiting friends, family members, and acquaintances to go to the polls.

“It’s an honor to receive this endorsement from the NFIB Florida PAC,” Stone said in a press release about the endorsement. “I’m a small business owner and have been a member of NFIB for many years. I look forward to working on behalf of small businesses across the state to maintain an environment that allows small businesses to grow.”

First established in 1943, NFIB has been the nation’s premier advocate for small business owners over the last 80 years.

The primary is March 7. The Republican winner will face a no-party write-in candidate on May 16th.