# Tom Keen (politician)

Charles Thomas Keen III (born April 9, 1956) is an American politician, businessman, and former military officer who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, having won a January 2024 special election. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 35th district, located in central Florida, southeast of Orlando, and includes parts of the counties of Orange and Osceola.

## Early life and education

Keen has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati.

## Military Service

Keen joined the United States Navy and was designated a Naval Flight Officer after completing flight school in 1983. He specialized in airborne reconnaissance missions. Shore assignments included duty at the US Embassy in London.

## Career

He retired from active duty as a Commander (O-5) and worked as a manager at Collins Aerospace at the time of his election to the state legislature.
After an unsuccessful campaign for the 35th district of the Florida House of Representatives in 2022, in which he lost the primary by a mere 57 votes, in May 2023, Keen announced his candidacy for a special election to succeed State Representative Fred Hawkins, who resigned to become president of South Florida State College. On November 7, 2023, he won the Democratic primary in what was considered an upset, as he had been outraised by his two opponents. Both parties heavily invested into winning the special election, due to Hawkins's 11-point re-election win in 2022, while President Joe Biden had won the district by five points in 2020. Keen received the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel during the campaign. In the special election on January 16, 2024, Keen defeated Republican nominee Erika Booth by roughly 2.6 percentage points, in a flip for his party.

## Personal life

Keen and his wife, Laura, have two adult children, and reside in Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida.

## Electoral history

2017 Orlando general election, City Commissioner District 1 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Nonpartisan | Jim Gray (incumbent) | 1,621 | 53.18% |
| | Nonpartisan | Tom Keen | 1,208 | 38.63% |
| | Nonpartisan | Sunshine L. Grund | 219 | 7.19% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 945,467 | 100.00 |
2022 Florida House of Representatives election, District 35 Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Rishi Bagga | 4,060 | 38.69% |
| | Democratic | Tom Keen | 4,003 | 38.14% |
| | Democratic | Tahitiana Munoz-Chaffin | 2,432 | 23.17% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 10,495 | 100.00 |
2024 Florida's 35th House of Representatives district special Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Keen | 2,419 | 35.84% |
| | Democratic | Rishi Bagga | 2,278 | 33.75% |
| | Democratic | Marucci Guzman | 2,053 | 30.41% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,750 | 100.00 |
2024 Florida's 35th House of Representatives district special election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Tom Keen | 11,390 | 51.33% | +6.74% |
| | Republican | Erika Booth | 10,800 | 48.67% | −6.74% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,190 | 100.00 | |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |