He also founded the House of Hope, a Christian-affiliated rehabilitation center for recently released prisoners.

In the Republican primary, he defeated Remzey Samarrai and John Patrick Deakins, winning 44% of the vote.

He was unopposed in the Republican primary, and in the general election, he faced Andrew Morey, the Democratic nominee.

Because Keith Perry had not represented most of the territory in the legislature and the fact that Morey had not run for office before, they "were unfamiliar faces in broad swaths of District 21.

[3] In 2016, after court-ordered redistricting, Perry ran for newly drawn open Senate seat anchored by Alachua County.