Attorney Jessica Baker has filed to run for Florida House District 12.

Baker, an Assistant State Attorney prosecuting cases out of the St. Augustine office of the State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, announced her bid for HD 12 on Friday, setting up a GOP primary showdown with Republican challenger Lake Ray, a former legislator who represented the district from 2008 to 2016.

“Each day it seems another career politician finds a new way to rant about how divided we are as a nation, determined to drive a wedge between all of us and common sense solutions,” said Baker. “I’m running for Florida House District 12 because like so many of you, I’m ready to tune out the politically driven outrage and focus on Florida-based outcomes for our families, our businesses and our communities that preserve our God-given freedoms and defend your right to pursue the American Dream.”

Baker will look to succeed State Representative Clay Yarborough, who has represented the district since 2016 and is running for State Senate in 2022.

Prior to joining the State Attorney’s office Baker was a private practice attorney in Northeast Florida with her practice focused on corporate, taxation and land use law.

In 2019, Baker was appointed to the Jacksonville Charter Revision Commission by City Council President Aaron Bowman. Baker also served a number of years on the senior staff of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. She previously worked at a top government relations firm in Tallahassee where she represented clients in front of the Florida Legislative and Executive branches, and as an associate at a statewide law firm where she focused on government and administrative law.

Baker received her undergraduate and law degrees from Florida State University, both with honors.

She lives in Jacksonville with her husband Tim Baker, a small business owner and US Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer, and their two children, Brooks and Olivia.

HD 12, a Republican-leaning district, encompasses part of eastern Duval County and is located entirely within Jacksonville.