Irv Slosberg files to run in Senate District 29

Irv Slosberg wants Palm Beach County residents to mask up.

Irv Slosberg has his sights set on the Florida Senate.

Slosberg, a Boca Raton Democrat, filed to run Monday for the state Senate. He’ll challenge Kevin Rader in state Senate District 29. Slosberg’s decision is the latest in a series of shake-ups in South Florida’s Senate districts.

Slosberg was first elected to the Florida House in 2000, where he served until 2006. He was elected again in 2010. His decision to run for the Senate means Slosberg will forgo re-election for a final term in the House.

The 68-year-old has made a name for himself in the House as an advocate for traffic safety laws, after his daughter, Dori, died in a car crash.

State records show Slosberg had raised $74,991 and spent $46,567 toward his House re-election campaign. He has more than $28,000 cash on hand.

Slosberg will face Rader in the Aug. 30 primary election. Rader announced last week that he would run for the Senate seat, instead of re-election. His announcement was paired with a decision by Sen. Joseph Abruzzo to run for Rader’s current House seat.

Rader, a 47-year-old Delray Beach Democrat, was first elected to the Florida House in 2008. He served until 2010, and then was elected again in 2012.

State records show Rader had raised $68,191 and spent $28,888 on his House re-election campaign. He has more than $39,000 cash on hand.

Kelly Ann Skidmore, a Democrat, has already filed the initial paperwork to run for Slosberg’s House District 91 seat. His daughter, Emily Slosberg, has filed initial paper work to run for the seat in 2018, when the seat would have been open due to term limits.