Drew Wilson
Former Rep. Sharon Merchant will not enter the Senate District 30 race, leaving fellow Republican Ronald Berman without a challenger in the primary season.
“After careful thought and consideration, I have decided not to run for the Senate this election cycle,” Merchant said in an email Monday to supporters. “This is such a difficult decision. As much and I want to serve, family and business commitments simply must come first.”
The Palm Beach County Republican, who served in the House during the 1990s, said not to count her out of running in the future and that when the seat comes back up in the 2018 cycle she will “strongly consider running.”
The newly redrawn SD 30 isn’t particularly favorable for Republicans, especially during presidential election years when Democrats are more likely to make it to the polls. According to the district plan, about 44 percent of the SD 30 electorate are registered Democrats compared to a 31 percent share for Republicans.
That margin translated into a 14-point margin of victory for President Barack Obama four years ago, though the district did vote handily for Florida CFO Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam two years prior.
So far, three Democrats and Berman have filed for the seat, which covers the northeastern part of Palm Beach County.
As of May 31, Democratic trial lawyer Michael Steinger leads the pack in campaign finance with nearly $400,000 on hand, though $200,000 of that money is from loans. District 88 Democratic Rep. Bobby Powell follows with about $83,000 in the bank and attorney Tony Bennett rounds out the pack with about $24,000 on hand.
Berman, the lone GOP candidate in the race, has about $125,000 on hand, with $113,000 of that money coming in through loans.
