U.S. House contests in Florida see tight races, new faces

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WWSB) - Primary elections for House seats in Florida will feature a test for a conservative firebrand with the specter of a federal investigation looming over him and a rematch between two Democrats after a razor-thin loss last year.

Gaetz tested after scandal

The primary in Florida will be a test of whether Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Trump protégé who is under federal investigation in a sex trafficking case, is losing support among moderate Republicans.

Gaetz has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. He is facing a challenge from Mark Lombardo, a former Marine and executive at FedEx who has blanketed the western Panhandle with attack ads centering around the investigation as he tries to take him on in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

Competing in the Democratic primary for the seat in the heavily Republican district is Rebekah Jones, a former Department of Health employee who questioned the state’s COVID-19 data, though a state inspector general’s report concluded her allegations were unfounded.

But it was unclear up until Monday if Jones was even legally allowed to run. A Leon County Circuit Judge ruled Jones was ineligible to run in Congressional District 1 because she had not been a member of the Democratic Party for 365 days before qualifying for the race.

Jones appealed and on Monday, an appeals court ruled in her favor, saying state law did not allow the legal challenge after the Department of State had determined that she was qualified.

She has tapped into national support for fundraising, bringing in more than $500,000, and is facing Peggy Schiller, a local Democratic Party activist who has only raised about $34,000 for the race.

Tight contest for new congresswoman

Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who has only been in office since January, is facing a tough primary challenge from a rival she beat in a Florida special election by just five votes.

Cherfilus-McCormick, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties in the state’s 20th Congressional District, is being challenged by former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness. Holness just narrowly lost their special primary election to serve the remaining months of the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings’ term.

Since then, the rivalry between Cherfilus-McCormick and Holness has only grown more bitter. Last month, Cherfilus-McCormick sued Holness, alleging defamation and seeking more than $1 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges that a Holness aide accused her in a text message of embezzling millions to help her buy the congressional seat.

Holness told NBC6 in South Florida that he wasn’t consulted about the text message before his campaign sent it out. But he says he still has questions about Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign finances. Cherfilus-McCormick maintains that she used money from her business for her campaign.

The winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary is expected to cruise to victory in November in the heavily Democratic district.

Crowded pack for possible GOP pickup

Republicans have another pickup opportunity in the seat held by Democrat Stephanie Murphy, who isn’t seeking reelection.

State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, one of the Florida Legislature’s most conservative members, is part of an eight-candidate primary. Sabatini is known for bucking his own party in the Legislature because it was not conservative enough for him. He has also called for defunding the FBI after the search of Mar-a-Lago and promoted false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.