John Hugh Shannon announced today raising $35,000 in the first 20 days of his race for House District 40.
The Lakeland Attorney and Marine Corps veteran is running as a Republican to replace term-limited Rep. Seth McKeel for the region covering much of Polk County. He faces Colleen Burton in the GOP primary, and the winner will face American Independent Party candidate Franklin Shoemaker.
โThe outpouring of support is truly humbling,โ said Shannon in a statement released Monday. โI can honestly say that this community never ceases to amaze me and never ceases to demonstrate its generosity.โ
After joining the United States Marine Corps in 1967, Shannon became an officer in 1968 and graduated Florida State University in June 1969. He completed the Florida Bar in February 1975, subsequently moving to Polk County and practiced law in Ft. Meade. Shannon has operated a private law practice in Lakeland since 1981.
Shannon sees running for office as a โmission as an extension of the oath I took as a young Marine and a calling โ not a career.โ
โI’ve said it before, I intend to fix problems in Tallahassee,โ he said. โI intend to work with everyone, together, to achieve success. If that is your desire for your elected Representative, then I’m your guy.โ
John has three daughters: Victoria Jane, a Clemson graduate, living in Baltimore. Olivia Anne, a freshman at Southeastern University, and Dr. Chevis Shannon, a professor of Public Health at Vanderbilt. Shannon is also a lifetime Member of the NRA serving as range safety officer in the Marine Corps.
ย
