Senate leaders endorse ‘champion’ Bryan Ávila for re-election to SD 39

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 11/30/2-Rep. Bryan Avila, R-Miami Springs, chairs the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo is joining future upper chamber leaders in backing Republican Sen. Bryan Ávila for re-election to Senate District 39.

The endorsement comes from the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (FRSCC), the political committee that serves as a fundraising arm for Senate Republicans.

Joining Passidomo on the FRSCC statement endorsing Ávila are Senate President-designate Ben Albritton and Sens. Jim Boyd and Jay Trumbull. Boyd and Trumbull are next in line after Albritton to lead the Senate.

“As an officer in the Florida Army National Guard and a college professor, Bryan Ávila knows first hand what’s at stake in the fight to strengthen our economy and increase access to opportunity for all Floridians,” read a prepared statement from the group.

“Bryan has been a champion for parental rights, safer communities and smaller government. We are proud to endorse Bryan Ávila because the hard working Floridians of District 39 deserve his continued leadership in the Florida Senate.”

Ávila has been pulling in plenty of cash to defend his SD 39 seat. The district covers parts of northwest Miami-Dade County, including all or parts of Doral, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Miami Lakes, Miami Springs, Sweetwater and Virginia Gardens.

Ávila, a former House Speaker Pro Tempore, won his 2022 race without opposition. He’s up for re-election just two years later following the state’s decennial redistricting process, which put all Senate seats up for grabs last cycle.

This time around, he will face a Democratic opponent in Charles A. Lewis. Lewis qualified for the race as part of Democrats’ efforts to contest every state legislative race this year.

Ávila is, however, unopposed for the GOP nomination. That means the Nov. 5 General Election is already set. And Ávila will be heavily favored in that contest. While there was no 2022 General Election SD 39 contest to compare to, Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio each won the area by more than 41 points in 2022, according to an analysis from Matt Isbell.

That was a historically strong year for Republicans, but Donald Trump also won the area by nearly 20 points in 2020.

The FRSCC has become more active in recent weeks in throwing public support behind the group’s preferred candidates.