State Senate & House Races Up For Grabs In Broward
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Voters in Broward will head to the polls in early voting this month ahead of the November general election.
In addition to casting ballots in primary races for Governor, Attorney General, Agricultural Commissioner, voters will also be choosing their party's candidates in state Senate and House races. Those races will be decided in the November general elections.
Democrats in Broward will have to decide in Senate District 34 whether to hold on to one term incumbent Gary Farmer Jr. or go with challenger Jim Waldman.
State Representative District 98 is up for grabs with the departure of incumbent Katie Edwards-Walpole, a Democrat who is widely admired around the state. She was unopposed in the 2016 Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.
Democrats gunning to take her seat are Andrew Dolberg, Elaine Geller, Michael Gottlieb, Stephen Korka, and Daniel J. Stallone.
Broward Democrats will also have to decide between Cindy Polo and Rick Tapia for the State Representative District 103 seat. Three-term incumbent, Republican Manny Diaz Jr., is not running.
It's a similar scenario in State Representative District 105 where Democrats Javier Estevez and Ross Hancock are vying for the seat. This race is open because incumbent Republican Carlos Trujillo is not running. Trujillo is unable to run for re-election in 2018 to the Florida House of Representatives because of term limits.
Republicans voters in Broward are not being left out of the state congressional races.
The state's constitution provides that if all candidates in a state or federal election have the same party affiliation and the winner will have no opposition in the general election, all qualified voters, regardless of party affiliation, may vote in the primary election for that office
So, therefore, Republicans in Broward can cast ballots in these three state congressional races.
In State Representative District 92, Democrats Paulette V. Armstead is going head to head with the incumbent, Democrat Patricia Hawkins-Willams.
In 2016, Hawkins-Williams defeated Armstead, Sajan Kurian and Whitney Rawls in the Florida House of Representatives District 92 Democratic primary. She then ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 92 general election.
In State Representative District 96, Democrat Kristin Jacobs, a four-term incumbent, is trying to fend off her seat from challenger Saima Farooqui.
And finally, in State Representative District 97, four-term Democratic incumbent hopes to keep his seat against rival Imtiaz Ahmad Mohammad.
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.
