He was opposed by Mary Louise Ambrose, the Democratic nominee and the owner of an insurance agency.

Ambrose was endorsed by the Tampa Bay Times, which criticized Ahern for voting "in lockstep with leadership and special interests to the detriment of his constituents.

While serving in the legislature, Ahern sponsored legislation that would "make the death of an 'unborn child' a separate crime from an offense committed against the mother," which Democrats opposed because "[a] person would not have to know a woman is pregnant to be charged with a crime.

"[4] Additionally, he authored legislation that would make prosecuting identity theft easier by eliminating a legal requirement that the stolen personal information be "used to commit fraud.

"[5] In April 2017, Ahern filed paperwork to run for the Pinellas County Commission District 6.