Drew Wilson
If Democratic Sen. Darren Soto’s congressional run is successful, his Senate District 14 seat will open up two years early.
Democratic HD 48 Rep. Victor Torres plans to capitalize on that opportunity.
“My future lies with the courts and how they are going to align the Senate seats, but that doesn’t stop me from the challenge of running for Darren Soto’s seat, and I look forward to the challenge and I’m going to fight for it,” Torres told the Orlando Political Observer.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s announcement that he would not seek another term no matter the outcome of his presidential bid has shaken up several races on the state and federal level. 9th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson’s Senate aspirations created the trickle-down effect that could ascend Torres to Soto’s seat. The U.S. Senate ambitions of Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly and Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy are shaking up the political ladder in their districts as well.
Torres was elected to his Orange County House seat in 2012 with no opposition at the primary or general election level, and his 2014 re-election campaign played out the same way. If he ends up making the jump to the Florida Senate, his seat will also be on the table.
If that happens, Torres suggested his daughter, Amy Mercado, would make a good replacement.
