Drew Wilson
Former state representative and congressman David Rivera kicked off his campaign for House District 105 with a $100,000 loan according to a campaign finance report filed with the Florida Division of Elections.
Rivera’s loan was first reported by Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida.
Rivera served in the Florida House for four terms before heading to the U.S. House where he served 2 years before losing his re-election bid to former Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia.
He attempted to get back into the Florida House last year, but fell 54 votes short in the HD 118 contest against Democratic Rep. Robert Ascensio.
This cycle he’s looking to replace term-limited Rep. Carlos Trujillo in the Republican-leaning HD 105.
Rivera didn’t show any other contributions to his campaign other than the loan, and also spent no money during the reporting period, leaving him with an even $100,000 on hand.
Rivera was the subject of a federal investigation alleging he ran a campaign finance scheme in his 2012 congressional re-election campaign, but the Miami U.S. Attorney’s office has so far declined to indict him.
He could still face an ethics fine if House Speaker Richard Corcoran decides to pursue the case, though Corcoran has dodged questions on the case and shown no interest in going after him.
The only other candidate running for the HD 105 seat is Republican Ana Maria Rodriguez, who filed in December.
Through the end of March, she had raised a little under $15,000 and has all of that money on hand.
According to 2016 data, HD 105 has 25,983 registered Democrats, 25,404 registered Republicans and another 27,393 voters not affiliated with either major party.
Last year, Trujillo cruised into his final term with 52.4 percent of the vote compared to 47.6 percent for Democrat Patricio Moreno.
