Ryan Nicol
Clint Barras, the Vice President at a web design and marketing company, has entered the race to replace Republican Rep. Holly Raschein in House District 120.
Raschein has served in the House since 2012 and is term-limited after this cycle, making the 2020 contest an open race. Barras has filed as a Democrat. He’s the only Democrat currently running after former Democratic Agriculture Commissioner candidate Roy David Walker withdrew from the race.
Barras, of Key West, is the Vice President of Business Development for Two Oceans Digital. He’s also served as Vice Chair of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.
Barras received his Bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College. He then earned a Master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies.
The newly-filed Democrat joins a race that already features a trio of Republican candidates.
Former House candidate Rhonda Rebman Lopez has led the contest in monthly fundraising since she entered the field in September. She’s competing for the Republican nomination against attorney Alexandria Suarez and Islamorada Councilman and former Mayor Jim Mooney.
HD 120 covers Monroe County as well as parts of southern Miami-Dade County, and leans Republican. But the seat is not off the table completely for Democrats.
In 2016, Raschein secured a convincing win, defeating her Democratic opponent by nearly 15 percentage points.
But that margin closed in 2018, with Raschein winning by just over 6 percentage points.
This year, Republicans lack an incumbent on the ballot. Depending on how kind the 2020 cycle is to Democrats, a “blue wave” could potentially push Barras over the top.
He’ll likely need to show he can match his Republican opponents’ fundraising ability. Lopez has raised more than $162,000 in four months as a candidate. That doesn’t include her January numbers, which are due by Feb. 10. Barras won’t need to file his first fundraising report — covering the month of February — until March 10.
