Washington (CNN) A freshman Florida congressman embroiled in ethics issues lost a Republican primary challenge on Tuesday, becoming the eighth incumbent to lose a House primary this year. Embattled Republican Rep. Ross Spano lost a primary challenge in Florida's 15th Congressional District to Lakeland City Commissioner Scott Franklin. Spano had also been endorsed by the top three House Republican leaders: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Minority Whip Steve Scalise and House GOP conference chair Liz Cheney. Franklin's campaign was bolstered by the endorsement of one of Spano's own House Republican colleagues: GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, who represents the state's 1st Congressional District. CNN projects that Gimenez, who has had a prominent platform during the coronavirus crisis, won the GOP primary for Florida's 26th District on Tuesday.

Source: CNN August 19, 2020 03:45 UTC