Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
The list of incumbents eyeing re-election just keeps getting longer.
State elections records show dozens of members of the state House and Senate have filed to run for re-election in 2018, and several more are looking ahead to 2020.
Sen. Gary Farmer is one of those lawmakers thinking about his next race. He filed to run for re-election in Senate District 34 on Jan. 24. Farmer won his seat in 2016, beating out two well-known South Florida Democrats for the seat. Sen. Bobby Powell Jr. also filed to run for re-election in Senate District 30 on Jan. 26.
Several House members also recently filed for re-election in 2018, including Republican Reps. Charles Wesley Clemons Sr., Stan McClain, David Santiago, Jennifer Sullivan, and Mike Miller.
And it isn’t just incumbents looking ahead to the next election.
Former Rep. James Bush III is looking to get back to the Florida House, filing to run for House District 109 on Jan. 23. The Democrat served in the House from 2008 to 2010, when he stepped down to run in Florida’s 17th Congressional District.
Polk County Commissioner Melony Bell is looking to make the leap to state government, filing to run in House District 56 on Jan. 17. Bell would face Democrat David Poulin, who filed to run on Jan. 9.
Looking ahead to 2020: Sen. Doug Broxson is already gearing up his next election. Broxson filed to run again in Senate District 1 on Jan. 12.
And he isn’t alone. Sen. Randolph Bracy filed to run again in Senate District 11 on Jan. 24; while Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez filed to run again in Senate District 37 on Jan. 23.
