Democrat enters HD 18 race to succeed term-limited Cyndi Stevenson

St. Augustine’s Keith Clark Matthews has opened a campaign account in a Northeast Florida House district that is 56% Republican and just 19% Democratic.

The Democrat, assuming he qualifies for the ballot next month, will face the winner of a contested Republican Primary for an open St. Johns County seat. The November winner replaces Rep. Cyndi Stevenson, who is term-limited.

Matthews will face resource challenges should he qualify, given that both Republican candidates have been actively fundraising and building campaign infrastructure.

Nick Primrose, a former Deputy General Counsel to former Gov. Rick Scott and former attorney for Gov. Ron DeSantis, had roughly $178,000 in his campaign account as of the end of March. His affiliated political committee, Friends of Nick Primrose, had an additional $65,000 on hand.

Kim Kendall has more than $98,000 on hand in her campaign account, a number bolstered by a $50,000 personal loan when she opened the account last year. Friends of Kim Kendall has roughly $47,000 on hand.

We reached out to Matthews Thursday for an interview before publication. This piece will be updated if we hear back.