With Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami, retiring due to term limits, Rep. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, has mustered an impressive campaign to take his place. Having raised just under $576,000 and spent more than $200,000, Flores has cleared the deck of all serious challengers while still keeping an impressive war chest intact.
There are two other candidates for this seat in Miami-Dade. David Nelson offered a last-minute challenge to Flores for the Republican nomination and loaned his campaign $2,000 -- most of which he burned through, leaving just under $200 in the bank at the end of the quarter. The winner of the Republican primary will take on Democratic candidate Dr. Les Gerson, a veterinarian who has raised more than $7,100 and loaned his campaign $30,000.
