Drew Wilson
The founding pastor of an Orlando-area church has filed to run in House District 45, ensuring a Democratic primary whether or not incumbent Rep. Randolph Bracy runs for the Florida Senate.
Democrat Kelvin Cobaris filed to run for the seat Thursday and is the third candidate in the race after Gregory Jackson, also a Democrat, filed for the seat last month.
Bracy is only halfway through his second House term, though it’s said he will leave his seat to run for the Senate District 12 held by Sen. Geraldine Thompson, who is running for Congress in District 10. A second in-party challenger only lends more credence to Bracy’s Senate aspirations.
Cobaris been a pastor and evangelist in churches across Florida, eventually starting the Impact Church of Orlando in 2004. According to his website, Cobaris is an advocate for crime prevention efforts in the Orlando area and is an honorary deputy and spiritual adviser at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
District 45 is a majority minority district and carries a Democratic advantage of more than 2-to-1. Bracy won the seat with 69 percent of the vote against Republican Ronney Oliveira in 2012 and went unopposed in the primary and general election in 2014.
Bracy had about $16,000 on-hand at the end of September. Jackson, who filed on Sept. 17, had about $2,700 through the same date. Cobaris’ first finance report, as well as the first full-month report for Jackson, is due Nov. 10.
