Ryan Nicol
Democratic State Sen. Jason Pizzo has formally opened a campaign account to hold on to his District 38 seat in 2022.
Pizzo took over that seat in the 2018 election after ousting incumbent state Sen. Daphne Campbell in the Democratic primary. Pizzo went unchallenged in the general election.
In his inaugural Legislative Session, Pizzo’s most high-profile legislation was a bill requiring prison staff to provide women with necessary hygiene products (SB 332). The Legislature approved the House version of that legislation (HB 49), which was pushed by Reps. Shevrin Jones and Amy Mercado.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure into law in early June.
The 2018 contest between Pizzo and Campbell was contentious at times, evidenced by a discussion between the pair on CBS Miami’s Facing South Florida.
Campbell called Pizzo a “liar” for attacking her over video showing Campbell receiving a Kate Spade purse during her 60th birthday party from a man who then shoved a wad of cash inside. Campbell did not report the money.
That instance is just one of several ways Pizzo challenged Campbell. He also confronted Campbell over allegations that she moved multiple times over the years, at times outside the boundaries of her district.
Those issues and others led Pizzo to accuse Campbell of being “distracted by personal gain and graft.”
Pizzo was able to outraise the incumbent as well, leading to an eight percentage point win in the primary.
So far, Pizzo is the only candidate to file for the SD 38 seat.
Campbell has since attempted a return to the Senate, declaring for the SD 35 contest in 2020.
