Just days into his newly launched bid for Senate District 38, Democratic entrepreneur Richard Lamondin has a solid roster of supporters from his party who want to see him flip the seat in November.<\/p>\n
Lamondin dropped out<\/a> of the race for Florida\u2019s 27th Congressional District last week and refocused his efforts on SD 38, a similar district covering parts of Miami-Dade County, where he hopes to unseat Republican Sen. Alexis Calatayud.<\/p>\n More than a dozen notable public figures, most of them current or former elected officials, have since announced that they\u2019re backing him.<\/p>\n That includes former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who served as Florida Democratic Party Chair from 2021 to 2023.<\/p>\n He called Lamondin inspiring.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the moment I met Richard, I was inspired by his sincere commitment to public service. A successful businessman, Richard is a fresh, results driven, practical, business-minded problem solver,\u201d Diaz said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a family man, he identifies with the affordability challenges our families face. I am convinced he will fight for our families. Because his priorities are our priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Democratic Sens. Mack Bernard and Tina Scott Polsky of Broward and Palm Beach Counties, respectively, praised Lamondin in a joint statement as \u201cexactly the kind of leader we need\u201d fighting for Florida\u2019s families in the Legislature.<\/p>\n \u201cAs members of the Florida Senate Democratic caucus, we know firsthand what it means to fight for families in a chamber where Republicans have held unchecked power for far too long,\u201d they said. \u201cHe is community-rooted, principled, and ready to get stuff done for the families of SD 38. We are proud to support his campaign and look forward to welcoming him as our colleague in Tallahassee.\u201d<\/p>\n Other new endorsements came in from Miami Beach Commissioners Tanya Katzoff Bhatt and Monica Matteo-Salinas; former Pinecrest Mayor and state Rep. Cindy Lerner; former Miami Beach Commissioner and state Rep. David Richardson; former Mayors Mike Davey of Key Biscayne and Phil Stoddard of South Miami; former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell; former Palmetto Bay Vice Mayor Leanne Tellam; and local historian-activist Marvin Dunn, who made national news<\/a> last year for fighting the giveaway of Miami Dade College land for a planned Donald Trump library.<\/p>\n They add to nods Lamondin got right after he pivoted to the state race<\/a> from Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and two Senate Democratic Leaders-designate, Tracie Davis and Shevrin Jones, the latter of whom is a former Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.<\/p>\n \u201cThese aren\u2019t just endorsements \u2014 they\u2019re a testament to what we\u2019re continuing to build,\u201d Lamdonin, who announced his SD 38 candidacy with a nearly three-minute video<\/a> (viewable below) Tuesday. \u201cWe\u2019ve had enough with the failures of Tallahassee, a better Florida starts here.\u201d<\/p>\n SD 38<\/a>\u00a0covers several coastal Miami-Dade municipalities, including Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, parts of Homestead, Coral Gables and Miami, and the unincorporated neighborhoods of Goulds, Kendall, Perrine, Redland, Sunset and Westchester.<\/p>\n Calatayud, who\u00a0won the district<\/a>\u00a0by 8 percentage points in 2022, ended 2025 with $1.09 million cash on hand.<\/p>\n Lamondin entered January with\u00a0more than $430,000 on hand<\/a>.<\/p>\n