Ryan Ray
Palm Beach Gardens lawyer Jonathan Chane on Thursday became the 10th candidate to formally announce intentions to succeed U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who’s abdicating the seat to run for U.S. Senate, in Florida’s 18th Congressional District in Palm Beach County.
Chane brings substantial local and Tallahassee muscle to the race: The 42-year old Democrat is a litigator with the influential Greenberg Traurig firm familiar to observers of battles within the Florida Capitol.
He’ll need it overcome local support for Palm Beach Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, who’s supported by longtime booster Democratic Sen. Jeff Clemens as well as State Attorney Dave Aronberg and County Mayor Shelley Vana, among others.
Chane evidently sees a useful advantage in actually being from the district, which has seen a majority of its candidates in the past two cycles come from outside its borders.
“I’m not a politician. I’ve never run for office,” Chane told The Palm Beach Post, before adding a not-so-subtle jab at outsiders: “But a lifetime here has taught me that when we come together and tackle challenges we can change people’s lives.”
Chane is president of the Temple Judea synagogue in Palm Beach Gardens.
Besides McKinlay, he joins retired engineer John Xuna from Stuart in the Democratic field.
At least six Republicans are also competing to take the slightly GOP-leaning seat first held by legendary Florida liberal Claude Pepper. Retired financial planner Paul Spain; Afghanistan veteran Brian Mast; Rebecca Negron, a Martin County school board member and wife of state Sen. Joe Negron; St. Lucie Commissioner Tod Mowery; and lawyer Rick Kozell have all officially announced their intentions to put the seat back into the “R” column.
