Drew Wilson
Hialeah Republican state Rep. Manny Diaz said Monday that his 2016 re-election campaign gathered enough signatures to get his name on the ballot next year.
“We appreciate every voter who signed a petition to get us on the ballot,” Diaz said in a prepared statement. “Qualifying by petition requires a strong base of loyal local volunteers, and it gives us a great opportunity to engage with voters. It might be easier to pay for a spot on the ballot, but it’s far more rewarding to have the people vouch for you.”
In order to get on the ballot, candidates running for the Florida Legislature must pay a fee of $1,781.82 or get 1 percent of the district to sign a petition. For Diaz’s District 103 seat, that shakes out to 821 signatures.
The announcement signals a strong start for Diaz, who is running for a third term in the House. According to Florida Division of Elections records, he is the first incumbent legislator to qualify for the 2016 ballot.
Diaz isn’t likely to face any strong primary challengers in 2016 and so far, Democrats haven’t had much luck despite President Barack Obama taking 56 percent of the vote there in 2012. Diaz blew out Democrat Benjamin F. DeYurre in 2014 and took 100 percent of the vote in the general election in 2012 after displacing former Rep. Renier Diaz de la Portilla in the Republican Primary that year.
Diaz is also off to a strong start on the fundraising side, with $77,500 in contributions through the end of June. The most recent report has the campaign with $66,619 cash on-hand.
