Florida Will Have New Attorney General In 2019; Meet The Primary Candidates
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – With Election Day rapidly approaching, there are several important races inside the state of Florida that voters are keeping a close eye on.
One of those races is for Florida Attorney General.
Election Day will be on November 6, which is less than three months away.
Entering the election, the current Attorney General of Florida is Republican Pam Bondi.
Bondi is serving her second term and cannot run for a third.
Running to replace her are two Democrats, Sean Shaw and Ryan Torrens, and two Republicans, Ashley B. Moody and Frank White.
Shaw is a current member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 61.
He was elected in 2016 after running unopposed, but he lost the democratic primary in his first attempt for a House seat in 2014.
Shaw sees the election as "an opportunity for change" and says the priorities of his campaign are cracking down on corruption and fraud, fighting the opioid crisis, being an advocate for consumers and ratepayers, and defending civil and equal rights.
Torrens has never run for public office. He owns Torren Law Group, which specialized in foreclosure defense and consumer protection.
His political career experience includes working as an intern for members of the U.S. Congress and as a consultant on the Independent Foreclosure Review Project.
On his campaign website, Torrens list his priorities as "consumer protection and standing up to big banks, fighting for seniors, protecting Florida families and tackling the addiction crisis."
White, like Shaw, is also a current member of the Florida House of Representatives. White represents District 2, which is located in the panhandle near Pensacola.
The key issues that White is running on are defending the constitution, standing against government overreach, protecting families and consumers with free market solutions, protecting the unborn as a 100% pro-life candidate, protecting the second amendment, preventing the spread and harm of Obamacare, protecting U.S. borders and ending sanctuary cities.
Moody is a former judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Florida.
She was elected in 2006 and remained on the bench until 2017, resigning in order to run for attorney general.
Moody has faced claims from White that she is not an ideological fit for the party. White stated on one of his mailers that Moody is "running as a Republican on a record of a liberal."
On her campaign website, Moody lists the things she stands for as "our flag, our constitution, the rule of law, all life (pro-life), Florida taxpayers, law enforcement, religions freedom, senior citizens and the economy.
HOW TO VOTE
There are three ways to cast your ballot.
Early voting, vote-by-mail ballot and in person on Election Day.
If you are planning to vote early, click the links below to find the list of open early voting locations.
Early voting locations in Miami-Dade *Early voting starts Monday August 13 in Miami-Dade County.
Early voting locations in Broward County *Early voting starts Saturday August 18 in Broward County.
Early voting ends in both counties on Sunday August 26.
The primary is Tuesday August 28.
It's best to know who you are going to vote for before you fill out your ballot, so why not give the ballot a once over before you head to the polls.
For more on Campaign 2018, click here.
For more voter information, FAQ's and helpful links, click here.
To see candidate interviews on CBSMiami.com, click here.
