Democrats rally behind Jayden D’Onofrio for HD 102

Davie Democrat Jayden D’Onofrio just landed another round of endorsements in his bid for House District 102 in Broward County.

Those announcing support for D’Onofrio include Senate Democratic Leader-designate Shevrin Jones, Sens. Rosalind Osgood and Barbara Sharief, and Reps. Rita Harris, Rob Long, Kelly Skidmore and Rashon Young.

They add to earlier endorsements from Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, Sen. Tina Scott Polsky and Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal.

“Jayden D’Onofrio is exactly the kind of leader our caucus needs in Tallahassee,” said Jones, a former Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.

“He has spent years building one of the most effective civic engagement organizations in our state, electing Democrats up and down the ballot and proving he can bring people together to win. As we work to grow our caucus and stand up for Florida families, Jayden will be a strong Democratic voice for Broward.”

D’Onofrio said he’s humbled by the support, which his campaign announced Friday.

“These are leaders who have spent years fighting for Florida families, and their confidence in our campaign is a tremendous responsibility,” he said.

“I’m running to be the most effective advocate I can be for our district, focused relentlessly on lowering property insurance costs, addressing housing affordability, strengthening public schools, and driving down auto insurance rates. Pragmatism seems to be in short supply these days; I’m running to bring it back to our state.”

D’Onofrio is the founder and Chair of Florida Future Leaders, a civic engagement organization that raised more than $1 million and spent nearly as much supporting Democrats in state races during the 2024 election cycle.

The organization, launched in January 2024, reported making more than 3 million voter contacts, registering thousands of young voters statewide and advocating for issues including youth homelessness, food insecurity, substance abuse prevention, gun safety and school safety.

D’Onofrio has emerged as an early fundraising leader in the race, with his campaign reporting more than $160,000 raised so far for what is considered a safe Democratic seat.

His lone Primary foe so far, Mike Friend, collected more than $143,000 through the last reporting period.

D’Onofrio’s campaign also touted a field operation that has knocked on thousands of doors throughout the district.

On the Republican side, candidates Jason Paul Smith and Mery Lopez-Palma have raised about $126,000 and $37,000, respectively.

HD 102 includes parts of Plantation, Davie, Cooper City, Southwest Ranches, Sunrise and Pembroke Pines.

The district’s current Representative, Mike Gottlieb, must leave office due to term limits. He won re-election over Lopez-Palma in 2024 by about 7 percentage points.

The Primary is Aug. 18, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3.