Drew Wilson
Republican Senate District 15 candidate Peter Vivaldi has picked up an endorsement from the West Orange Political Alliance, the West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s political arm.
“After meeting with the candidates in his race, Peter Vivaldi received a supermajority of our board’s votes, and we are happy to announce our support for his bid for Senate,” said Mark Griffith, chairman of the West Orange Political Alliance in a statement Monday. “He has earned our endorsement because of his demonstrated leadership and support of our community through his professional and community activities.”
Vivaldi, the only Republican running in SD 15, said he was “proud to have the support of the West Orange Political Alliance” and that he looks forward to working with them if he is elected to the Senate.
The Republican businessman and youth pastor currently trails in fundraising the two Democrats running for the seat, state Rep. Victor Torres and Bob Healy. After two months in the race, Vivaldi had about $15,000 on hand compared to about $66,000 for Torres and $32,000 for Healy.
The newly redrawn SD 15 is also more favorable for Democrats than Republicans. According to the district plan, about 41 percent of the district’s electorate are registered Democrats compared to a 31 percent share for Republicans.
In the 2012 cycle, President Barack Obama won the district by 16 points and Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson won re-election with 64 percent of the vote.
