Republican political newcomer Daniel Perez knocked out Democrat Gabriele Mayaudon to win the election for Florida’s 116th House District on Tuesday.
Perez bested Mayaudon by a wide margin, taking nearly 66 percent of the vote compared to Mayaudon’s 34 percent.
Perez will replace Jose Felix Diaz in HD116, which covers parts of southwest Miami-Dade county and has historically leaned Republican.
Approximately 13,000 voters cast their ballots in HD116 with 42 of 47 precincts reporting, with Perez receiving nearly 9,000 votes to Mayaudon’s 4,500 votes.
The HD116 seat became vacated in a political chain-reaction when Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Kendall, resigned in April after making profanity-laced comments and racial slurs towards a fellow lawmaker.
Rep. Jose Felix Diaz then jumped in the race to replace Artiles, leaving his seat open for the taking.
Perez, 29, was a newcomer to the political scene, but quickly equipped himself with a high-profile political team which included Republican veteran consultant David Custin.
The young lawyer defeated political insider Jose Mallea to nab the GOP nomination in July after a brutal primary campaign.
Mallea was a well-connected GOP operative who jumped from campaign to campaign over the years, heading up U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s senatorial campaign committee in 2010 before joining Newt Gingrich’s Florida team in 2011.
The South Florida Republican also served as a senior adviser for Hispanic outreach to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, but his connections and endorsements from former stars in Florida politics -- like Bush and former House Speaker Will Weatherford -- couldn’t secure him a win on primary day.
Hillary Clinton won HD116 last November, but HD116 is susceptible to ticket-splitting, with Republicans like Diaz handily winning elections each cycle.
The HD116 election ran simultaneously with SD40, where Democrat Annette Taddeo caused a huge upset, defeating Republican Jose Felix Diaz by nearly three percent.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
