Drew Wilson
A Delray Beach city commissioner filed for the House District 88 seat held by Democratic Rep. Bobby Powell, who is expected to leave the House to run for state Senate.
Commissioner Al Jacquet, also deputy vice mayor of Delray Beach, filed for the seat Friday and will be the only candidate for the seat once Powell officially launches his Senate campaign.
The second-term House member is expected to run in the new District 25, which covers an inland stretch of Palm Beach County as well all of Martin and St. Lucie counties. Democratic Attorney Emily Slosberg, the daughter of Boca Raton Democratic Rep. Irv Slosberg, has announced she will run in that district.
Powell will bring about $32,000 with him when he transfers races, though a couple decent months could put Slosberg ahead in the race, seeing as Powell will not be able to raise any more campaign cash until after Sine Die in March.
Jacquet, for his part, shouldn’t have too much trouble in HD88, especially with no incumbent running against him. In 2012 Powell took 51 percent of the vote in a four-way Democratic Primary and won his seat without an Election Day challenger. In 2014, he didn’t have to go through a primary and was only opposed by a write-in candidate.
Jacquet has already proved to be a good campaigner at the municipal level. Outside of the city’s majority-minority seat, the St. Maarten native was the first African-American elected to the Delray Beach City Commission.
He won his 2012 election with 49 percent of the vote in a four-way race, with the next closest candidate, Pat Archer, snagging just over 29 percent. He was subsequently re-elected in 2014 with a 49.7 percent share of the vote in a three-way race.
