Mitch Perry
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is weighing on a race dividing Democrats in Pinellas County, backing St. Petersburg attorney Ben Diamond in the House District 68 contest.
“Ben Diamond is an asset to Tampa Bay,” Buckhorn said in a statement released Thursday. “His commitment to fairness and his experience in Tallahassee make him the best candidate to help move our region forward. I look forward to working with him to make Tampa Bay an even better place to live and work.”
“I’m so honored to have the support such a dedicated public servant,” said Diamond. “Decisions made in Tallahassee usually don’t just impact one place — they affect all of us. I’ll be an advocate for what’s right for families and small businesses not only in Pinellas County, but throughout Tampa Bay as well.”
Diamond is running against Eric Lynn in the HD 68 Democratic primary on Aug. 30. Both candidates have been in the contest for a relatively short time, after incumbent Dwight Dudley made a surprise announcement April 25 that he would not run for re-election for the seat (Dudley is now running for a judicial position in Pinellas County).
Diamond, who also served as general counsel to former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, announced just a few hours later that he would enter the contest.
Lynn, who had been running against Charlie Crist in Florida’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary but was trailing badly in the polls, announced a week later that he would drop out of that race and challenge Diamond in the primary. He had raised over $600,000 in his congressional campaign account for that contest, and told FloridaPolitics.com earlier this week he would move $250,000 immediately to a state political committee backing his candidacy, and move another $250,000 later on.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican JB Benshimen in November.
