Drew Wilson
Democratic Rep. Daphne Campbell said Tuesday she will run for state Senate in the newly redrawn District 38.
“I am thrilled to announce my campaign for State Senate District 38,” the Miami Shores Democrat said in a news release. “Since 2010, it has been my highest honor to serve the incredible people of House District 108. I came to Tallahassee to act as a voice for the voiceless and it has been beyond rewarding to spend every day fighting on behalf of working families who deserve a state government that works for them, not the wealthy special interests.”
The new district lines approved by Florida courts at the end of 2015 turned District 38 into a majority-minority district. If the district lines survive the Florida Supreme Court, the race will pit Campbell against longtime Democratic Sen. Gwen Margolis, who said last week she would run in SD 38 even though she now lives in the new SD 37.
SD 38 includes some of the same areas Campbell represents in her House district.
About one-third of the voting age population in the new district is black, and 40 percent of the district identifies as Hispanic. The new district is overwhelmingly favorable for Democrats.
Elections data shows the area voted for President Barack Obama with a 3-to-1 margin in both 2008 and 2012, and provided similar support for the Democratic candidates for governor and Cabinet in the 2006 and 2010 election cycles.
Campbell was elected to the Florida House in 2010 after a contentious Democratic primary, and was subsequently re-elected in 2012 and 2014 without much challenge.
The third-term representative still has two years of eligibility left in the House before she hits term limits.
Florida Division of Elections records, which still list Campbell as a House candidate, show her campaign account has about $8,600 cash on-hand, including $7,131 in December contributions. Margolis, through the same date, has about $75,000 in her campaign account.
