Ryan Nicol
The Florida chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is backing Republican candidate Demi Busatta Cabrera in the open contest for House District 114.
Busatta Cabrera is the only Republican competing in the contest to succeed Democratic Rep. Javier Fernández. Jean-Pierre Bado and Susi Loyzelle are running as Democrats.
Nevertheless, the Florida chapter of the nation’s largest public employee trade union is endorsing the Republican over her Democratic opponents. AFSCME tends to favor Democratic candidates in its endorsements, though has backed Republican opponents in the past.
“After reviewing where you stand on the issues that are most important to our member, we believe that you are the best choice for our families, our communities, and those we serve,” read a letter from AFSCME Florida representatives to Busatta Cabrera.
Busatta Cabrera has led the contest in fundraising so far. She has raised nearly $100,000 and has nearly $25,000 still on hand.
Bado leads in cash on hand with more than $31,000 available. He has collected more than $45,000, $7,500 of which came from self-loans.
Loyzelle came out on top in the most recent fundraising period, however. She raised more than $18,000 from June 13-26, though still trails Bado and Busatta Cabrera in overall money raised. Loyzelle qualified for the race just days before the June 12 deadline for state legislative races.
Fernández is departing the House to pursue a Senate seat. HD 114 covers portions of Miami-Dade County including Cutler Bay and South Miami.
