There will be no primary as three candidates — a Republican, a Democrat and an independent — qualified to run in the special election for House seat 118, vacated when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Juan Fernandez-Barquin as Miami-Dade clerk and comptroller.
First time candidate Mike Redondo, a Republican personal injury attorney, and perennial candidate Johnny Farias, a Democrat electrician and former community councilman, will duke it out with independent Francisco “Frank” de la Paz. It is somewhat of a swing seat. The predominantly Hispanic district, previously held by Democrat Robert Asencio, is a narrow sliver of Miami-Dade County west of the Florida Turnpike, including Goulds, Kendall, Sunset, and South Miami Heights.
So, everyone has a chance in the Dec. 5 election.
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De la Paz, a construction executive who ran for community council in 2016 and came in third, is the decided underdog. This might finally be Farias turn. He has been active for more than a decade and served on the community council, reviewing county zoning applications, for several years. He has run for state office several times. Last November, Farias got 31.6% of the vote against Fernandez-Barquin. So voters know his name.
Farias, 53, also has amassed an A+ campaign team, according to Florida Politics. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Florida Democratic Party alum Manuel Ernesto Gutierrez is campaign manager. Veteran direct mail strategist Achim Bergmann is the campaign’s general and mail consultant. Financial consultant Makeda McClune, with 15 years experience in local and state campaigns, will lead fundraising. Charly Norton, senior VP of Democratic mail firm Bergmann Zwerdling Direct, and digital fundraising operation Goodman Campaigns, will help with email and texting.
And people are tired of the anti-woke wars waged by the Republican-led legislature in lieu of, oh, say, insurance reform, which is expected to be a main issue of the election.
Redondo, 38, has the blessing of popular State Rep. Daniel Perez, the next Speaker of the House, and $71,000 raised already in 11 days in June, according to the latest and only campaign finance report, mostly from lobbyists and political action committees, and including $1,000 from former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, $5,000 in five checks from companies linked to sugar giant Florida Crystals, and $25K from the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee. He told the Miami Herald that he had raised between $160K and $170K so he must have a political action committee somewhere.
Read related: Race for State House 118 begins with two Republicans seeking vacant slot
He’s not spending it on his website, which is pretty basic. Johnny’s s better.
Democrats better come up with some dough for Johnny. He said Wednesday that he had raised $36,000 in six days, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9.
“The impressive support is born out of the acknowledgment that our affordability and insurance crisis cannot continue,” read a statement from his campaign.
Three candidates run in special election for House District 118 in Kendall added by Ladra on
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