Ryan Nicol
The political arm of The LIBRE Initiative is endorsing Republican candidate Ana Maria Rodriguez as she pursues one of the most sought out Senate seats this cycle in Senate District 39.
The LIBRE Initiative Action is also endorsing GOP candidate Alex Rizo as he seeks to succeed House Speaker José Oliva in House District 110.
The LIBRE Initiative is a pro-Hispanic interest group backed by Americans for Prosperity, part of the Koch family network.
The organization has weighed in on big-time races in the past. During the 2016 cycle, the LIBRE Initiative spent big to support U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio against Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy. Another Republican, Carlos Curbelo, earned the group’s support in 2014 when he won the seat in Florida’s 26th Congressional District from Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia.
Rodriguez is ditching her House District 105 seat and is unopposed in the GOP primary for SD 39. Rep. Javier Fernández and Daniel Horton-Diaz are battling for the Democratic nomination. That primary will take place on Aug. 18. Non-party affiliated candidate Celso Alfonso has qualified as well.
The race is expected to be one of the tightest in the state this fall. Big money and institutional party support has mostly lined up between Rodriguez and Fernández.
The general election in HD 110 is already set in stone. Rizo, a Republican, will compete against Democratic candidate Annette Collazo on Nov. 3. Rizo has been the better fundraiser so far, pulling in $70,000 to Collazo’s $26,500.
“At a time when the Latino community in South Florida is hungry for bold leadership, LIBRE Action is proud to support Rep. Rodriguez and Alex Rizo who are committed to expanding opportunity and prosperity for all Floridians,” said Cesar Grajales, a senior advisor for the group.
“We look forward to leveraging our grassroots army of volunteers and supporters to ensure that Rep. Rodriguez wins her Senate race and Alex Rizo is able to join her in Tallahassee to fight for our South Florida community.”
