With a little more than a week til qualifying deadline, two Republican women filed Thursday to challenge two Democrat incumbents in the House.
Laura Rivero Levey, a midbeach Collins condo dweller who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in Miami Beach in 2011, will run against Rep. David Richardson in District 113. Carmen Rosa Sotomayor, who lists an address in the Fountaineblue Park area, will run against Rep. Kionne McGhee in District 117. Is that even in his South Dade District?
Both are freshmen who won open and historically blue seats in the the 2012 primary, without having to face a Republican candidate in the general.
This could be a GOP counterattack on the blitz announced last week by the Miami-Dade Democrats, who pit seven challengers in every single Republican held house seat in the 305 as well as an open seat that was held by Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation Chairman Eddy Gonzalez, who is termed-out.
It just smells of a quid pro quo, both women filing on the same day.
Related story: Miami-Dade Dems wage full House battle
Nelson Diaz, chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade, said he did not encourage or put the women up to run. But he was glad they did. “We welcome all Republicans who want to take seats in the legislator from Democrats,” Diaz told Ladra.
But despite the fact that they are both women — which has its campaign advantages, i.e., they are harder to attack — these GOP newbies are as equally farfetched long shots as the Dem challengers, who Ladra likes to call the Fat Chance Crew. These two could, in fact, be honorary members.
Richardson, particularly, could be difficult to topple. He became immensely popular in his freshman term, making friends on both sides of the aisle. As the first openly gay member of the legislature, he has become everybody in Tallahassee’s favorite gay bestie. And he qualified by petition, so you know there are already that many people predisposed to vote for him.
He also has quite the little war chest already prepared for someone who was so far unopposed — $137,000 raised, $76,500 loaned to himself for total of $212,000 or so, not including any PACs.
“The Republican Party of Florida is wasting time and resources, but I respect the electoral process,” Richardson posted on his Facebook page, adding that he was ready to meet the challenge. “I am not intimidated…When we are done and successful in November, we will be even stronger!
Richardson has already spent almost $50,000 of that — including about $12,00 a piece to Stratford Strategies in Fort Lauderdale and to consultant Ben Pollara in Miami Beach. Again, quite some coin to be spending when you have no challenge. Did Richardson smell this coming?
McGhee has spent $12,000 of his $42,000 in contributions, $4,400 of which went to Timothy Melton last fall. Melton is a local activist who is known to collect absentee ballots in Homestead.
Ladra will bet that, if needed, both men will be helped by the Democratic Party, which is going to want to hang on to those seats in a midterm elections year that went suddenly from blah to bam!
Only one incumbent, Rep. Cynthia Stafford, remains unopposed in both the primary and the general. Rep. Daphne Campbell faces two Dem challengers and a No Party Affiliation (Go NPAs!). And Rep. Barbara Watson faces four, count ’em four, Dems — and here we thought the local party was getting it together — including former Rep. Philip Brutus.
But, hey, as we’ve seen in the last few days. A lot could happen in the next week before qualifying deadline Friday the 20th.
Republicans enter House races against Richardson, McGhee added by Ladra on
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