Rep. Jose Felix Diaz sailed to victory in a special election for the Republican nomination for Florida’s 40th Senate District Tuesday evening, besting former state Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla in one of the fiercest political campaigns of the summer.
Early returns showed Diaz with a colossal lead over Diaz de la Portilla, with initial results placing him ahead with 57 percent to Diaz de la Portilla’s 27 percent.
In person voting was unlikely to shift results and Diaz was quickly declared the winner of the special election.
“Thank you to all my friends, family, and constituents for their support," Diaz tweeted Tuesday evening. "Congrats to @AlexDLP40 and @palolaw2 on a hard fought race."
Tuesday marked the final chapter of a climactic -- and at most times heated -- campaign between Diaz and Diaz de la Portilla for Florida’s 40th Senate District.
Republican Lorenzo Palomares also ran for the nomination, but the race was largely considered a faceoff between Diaz and Diaz de la Portilla.
Headlines from the campaign trail -- mostly centered around Diaz de la Portilla -- brought up the former state lawmaker’s past arrests, falsified endorsements and the creation of thousands of fake social media followers.
Initial results from a May poll showed Diaz de la Portilla with a behemoth lead over Diaz, trouncing him by 36 points.
Diaz was successfully able to significantly shrink that lead, securing the Republican nomination Tuesday.
Diaz de la Portilla, was, at times, heavily combative on the campaign trail, regularly calling his opponent a “coward” while touting early poll results and lambasting media as “fake news.”
Diaz resigned from the Florida House of Representatives in May to seek his party’s primary nomination for the seat, which was vacated in April following Sen. Frank Artiles’ resignation over racially-charged insults hurled at a black lawmaker.
Senate leadership, which generally watched in silence from the wings during the primary, moved forward in total support of Diaz, ready to charge full-speed ahead to the September election.
"Jose is a strong candidate with broad community support and the experience to best represent the values and needs of this district," said Senate President Joe Negron. "The Republican majority has made tremendous gains in Tallahassee on behalf of hard-working Floridians, and Jose's victory in September is an important step in continuing those achievements."
"Jose, Alex and Lorenzo are formidable and qualified candidates and I applaud them for running spirited campaigns to represent their community," said Sen. Bill Galvano. "Jose has earned the confidence of the people of Senate District 40 and now is the time for Senate Republicans to work together to ensure victory on September 26th."
"The work to ensure the people of Senate District 40 have the strong leader they deserve begins right now," said Senate Majority Leader Wilton Simpson. "Jose's heart and compassion for the people he serves make him a perfect fit for the Florida Senate, and we look forward to making that case over the next nine weeks."
The Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee is expected to dump millions of dollars into the general race to keep the coveted Miami seat in the hands of the GOP and away from the grasp of the Democrats.
On the Democratic side, former Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor Annette Taddeo emerged victorious over former state Rep. Ana Rivas Logan, dominating the vote with early returns showing her up by nearly 69 percent.
The win was a change of pace for Taddeo, who has run for office unsuccessfully several times in recent years.
Democrats, seeing an opportunity to take a key seat in the Florida Senate, have pledged to give the next two months all they’ve got.
"With tonight's decisive victory, we can, and will, send a loud message in September that the politics of division coming from President Trump and Washington, D.C. will not be tolerated in South Florida," Taddeo said Tuesday. "Together, we will make history by electing the first Hispanic Democratic woman to the Florida Senate and a champion for our families."
The Florida Democratic Party was quick to pounce upon their newest opponent, criticizing Diaz for siding with "special interests" and attempting to tie Diaz to President Donald Trump.
"Voters in Senate District 40 are sick of corrupt, pay-to-play politicians like Jose Felix Diaz who are owned by the special interests that buy them," said FDP spokeswoman Johanna Cervone. "Instead of doing good, Diaz took big checks from insurance lobbyists and stuck Floridians with higher rates; Diaz used his office to enrich himself while raising property taxes by $500 million--increasing the cost of living for Miami homeowners...Not a surprise, considering he's a lobbyist who takes money from corrupt entities like Dade Medical College. Diaz must be taking cues from his old boss, Donald Trump."
Taddeo and Diaz will now speed ahead throughout the rest of the summer, their eyes locked on the Miami-Dade seat, which covers parts of Kendall.
The general election will be held Sept. 26.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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