Polsky gets Dem nod in Dist. 29; Jones emerges from Dist. 35 field

South Florida voters on Tuesday took major steps toward deciding the makeup of the region’s state legislative delegation. As a Democratic stronghold, several South Florida races were decided in Tuesday’s primary election. State lawmakers will face tough decisions in the coming months on funding for education, affordable housing and the environment as the coronavirus pandemic sends the state’s revenues plummeting. Here are the results in some key South Florida legislative races.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 29

Winner: Tina Polsky

Rep. Tina Polsky and former Rep. Irv Slosberg competed in a Democratic stronghold in Palm Beach and Broward counties that opened when Sen. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, decided against seeking another term. Slosberg poured more than $1.5 million into the race, while Polsky received backing from Democratic senators and a cross-section of groups in Tallahassee. The winner will face Republican Brian Norton in November.

Polsky’s House district overlaps much of Senate District 29, which includes Boca Raton, Highland Beach, West Boca, West Delray and portions of Broward County west of Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 35

Winner: Shevrin Jones

The winner of the Democratic primary in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to replace term-limited Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, is a virtual lock to become a senator, as the only other candidate in November is a write-in. The race drew six Democrats: Rep. Shevrin Jones, Rep. Barbara Watson, former Sen. Daphne Campbell, former Rep. Cynthia

Stafford, Wilbur Harbin of Miramar, a retired battalion chief with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue; Erhabor Ighodaro of Miami Gardens, a commissioner in that city. The district straddles the Broward and Miami-Dade line and includes West Park, Pembroke Park, Miramar, Miami Gardens and Opa-locka. Jones and Campbell were seen as the favorites in this race. Jones, 36, served eight years in the state House. He is Florida’s first openly gay Black lawmaker. Campbell, a Haitian-American, served eight years in the Florida Legislature, including two years a state senator.

In the last minute, a robocall went out with a recorded message that former President Barack Obama had endorsed Campbell. But an Obama spokeswoman told the Miami Herald no such endorsement had been made in the race.

STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 88

Winner: Omari Hardy

Rep. Al Jacquet, D-Riviera Beach, faced controversy and drew a list of opponents as he sought another term in the Palm Beach County district. The controversy stemmed, at least in part, from what were widely seen as anti-gay comments by Jacquet. He faces Omari Hardy, 30, who has amassed a large social media presence, racking up more than 175,000 followers, thanks in part to a viral video in which he confronted Lake Worth Beach’s mayor about the city-operated utility system shutting off power for customers with unpaid bills during the coronavirus pandemic. Other candidates in the race were: Cedrick Thomas, a former councilman and police officer in Riviera Beach; Sienna Osta, an attorney making a first-time run for office; and radio host Philippe Louis Jeune. The winner will be up against Republican Danielle Madsen and unaffiliated candidate Rubin Anderson in November.

STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 81

Winner: Too close to call Polsky’s bid for the Senate has opened up a vacancy in her heavily Democratic House district. Kelly Skidmore, 57, a former state representative, faced off against Michael Weinstein, a 47-year-old criminal defense attorney who made a first-time run for elected office. Skidmore served four years in the Florida House from 2006 to 2010, leaving to make an unsuccessful bid for state Senate. Before that, she served as a legislative aide. Weinstein is the son of former state senator and Broward County chief judge Peter Weinstein. The winner will be up against Republican Silmo Moura or Saulis Banionis.

STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 95

Winner: Too close to call State Rep. Anika Omphroy faced a challenge in this district, which crosses Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Margate, North Lauderdale, Plantation, Sunrise and Tamarac. Omphroy, 42, squared off against Jasmen Rogers-Shaw, a 30-year-old political activist who raised more than twice the campaign cash as Omphroy. A Republican candidate is not in the race.

OTHER WINNERS

Senate District 33 Democratic primary: Perry Thurston*

House District 94 Democratic primary: Bobby DuBose*

House District 96 Democratic primary: Christine Hunschofsky

House District 101 Democratic primary: Too close to call

* Winner will not face a challenger in November election.