TAMPA — In a bid to win his job back in November, Andrew Warren won Tuesday's Democratic primary for Hillsborough County State Attorney.

Warren defeated Elizabeth Strauss, garnering 70.3% of the vote.

Warren will now face Republican Suzy Lopez in November. Lopez was appointed to the role after Gov. Ron DeSantis removed Warren from office in 2022.

The office represents the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Hillsborough County.

In a statement Tuesday night, Warren said: "Thanks to the voters and everyone who has continued to support my fight for public safety and democracy. Democracy is not a spectator sport, and I congratulate Ms. Strauss for throwing her hat into the ring. My focus remains where it always has been: getting back in office so we can reverse the alarming increase in crime that’s happened under my illegally appointed successor. To do that, we need a true leader committed to serving this community, not the Governor’s political agenda."

DeSantis suspended Warren over the prosecutor’s signing of statements that said he would not pursue criminal charges against seekers or providers of abortion or gender transition treatments, as well as his policies about not charging people with certain minor crimes.

Warren accused DeSantis of suspending him for political reasons and actions protected by the First Amendment, and took him to court, saying the governor did not have a legal right to take him out of elected office.

Warren filed a lawsuit that was dismissed in early 2023, but earlier this year, a federal appellate court vacated that ruling.

As for Lopez, she told Spectrum News earlier this year: "We’ve been campaigning and by doing the work of the office, crime is down," Lopez said. "We've been very successful and working on our relationships with our law enforcement partners, and with those collaborations crime has gone down in Hillsborough County, as well as the City of Tampa."