Democrat Lamondin Drops Congress Bid, Targets GOP's Calatayud in SD 38

Richard Lamondin, a Democratic entrepreneur who spent more than a year building a congressional campaign in Miami-Dade County, is expected to announce Tuesday that he is abandoning that race. Instead, he will challenge Republican state Sen. Alexis Calatayud in Senate District 38.

The pivot is largely geographic. Much of SD 38 overlaps with Florida's 27th Congressional District, where Lamondin has been engaging voters since early April 2025. The candidate would be trading one Republican-held seat for another without rebuilding his entire base from scratch. Calatayud, a freshman senator, flipped SD 38 red in 2022 by eight percentage points, defeating Democrat Annette Taddeo. The district covers coastal Miami-Dade communities including Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, parts of Homestead and Coral Gables, and several unincorporated neighborhoods. On paper, it remains one of Florida's most competitive legislative districts.

Lamondin, 38, has built his public profile around environmental business credentials. He is co-founder and CEO of eco fi, an environmental services company that claims to have conserved an estimated 10 billion gallons of water and prevented more than 300,000 metric tons of carbon emissions while helping renters reduce utility costs.

His campaign account ended 2025 with more than $430,000 on hand, a cash position that would give him credibility in a competitive primary. First-quarter fundraising reports are due later this month, which could sharpen the picture.

The Democratic nomination is not his to claim, however. Heniy Dixon is already in the race, and Taddeo — who vacated SD 38 to mount unsuccessful bids for governor and Congress — is strongly considering a return to the district, multiple sources said. A Taddeo entry would instantly complicate Lamondin's path, given her prior roots in the seat.

The district now performs slightly more Republican than Democratic, meaning whoever wins the Democratic primary would face an uphill climb against Calatayud in the general election.

Lamondin has not yet formally filed for SD 38, and no announcement had been made as of Monday. The state's candidate filing deadline and the date of the SD 38 primary have not yet been confirmed.

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