Drew Wilson
A Miami attorney filed to run for House District 120 last week, setting up a Democratic primary in the Republican-leaning district.
Kevin Diaz filed his candidate paperwork on Friday and will run against retired teacher Artie Leichner in the Democratic Primary. The winner faces incumbent Key Largo Republican Rep. Holly Raschein on Election Day.
Diaz earned his law degree from St. Thomas Aquinas University and was admitted to The Florida Bar in February 2015. The newly minted lawyer runs his own practice, Diaz & Affiliates, in Miami-Dade County.
Chances are slim for Democrats in HD 120. Despite Democrats holding a voter registration advantage over the GOP, no candidate has been able to raise enough to give Raschein a serious run for her money. With just 10 months until Election Day, and the prospect of an expensive primary, Raschein’s lead is likely insurmountable.
Through the close of 2015, the second-term representative had more than $108,000 in her campaign account, including $17,100 in December contributions. Leichner, who filed for the seat in mid-November, shows $5,100 on-hand through his first six weeks in the race.
Raschein was elected to the House in 2012 after beating Republican Morgan McPherson with a 2-to-1 spread in the primary and Democrat Ian Whitney by about 5 points in the general. She ran unopposed in 2014.
