Daphne Campbell, Miami’s scandal-plagued and sole Haitian-American state legislator, is out in District 38 — and wealthy former prosecutor Jason Pizzo is in — after a tough primary battle open to all voters no matter the political affiliation.
Campbell was outflanked on the left in a district that leans so Democratic that Republicans didn’t bother putting up a challenger. Eight years of conservative-leaning votes on abortion, gay rights, school prayer and charter schools left her on the outs with Democrats. The Miami-Dade party recently sent her a letter highlighting her “questionable ethics” and asking that she answer for an illegal mailer sent to Republicans that urged a vote for Campbell in District 38.
The diverse northeast Miami-Dade district, which includes the largest Haitian population in the country, is now headed by Pizzo, who spent more than a million dollars of his own money on a campaign emphasizing public safety, climate change and a living wage for workers. Last election he came in second in a crowded six-way primary that Campbell narrowly won.
This time, with all the votes tallied late Tuesday, Pizzo walked away easily with nearly a 9-percent victory margin. Continue reading