WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Several recognizable names have recently emerged as candidates looking to fill the seat long-held by U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., in Congress.
Hastings, who was honored Wednesday by his colleagues at the U.S. Capitol, died earlier this month at the age of 84.
Dubbed the dean of Florida's congressional delegation, Hastings won re-election 14 times since first making his way to Washington in 1993.
Now several familiar faces have announced they'll seek to take his place in Congress.
These are the candidates looking to fill Hastings' seat in Florida's 20th congressional district, which includes portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties:
Rev. Elvin Dowling
AGE: 46
OCCUPATION: Chairman of Palm Beach Harvest food bank, President and CEO at Global Image Consulting
RESIDENCY: West Palm Beach
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Baptist
EDUCATION: University of Maryland Global Campus
PERSONAL: Married with three children
The Rev. Elvin Dowling is a former aide and longtime mentee of Hastings.
His book "Still Invisible? Examining America's Black Male Crisis" analyzes the problems facing Black men in America. Hastings wrote the foreword for the book, which won the Florida Book Award in March 2021.
Dowling is a West Palm Beach native and graduate of Palm Beach Lakes Community High School.
Bobby DuBose
AGE: 50
OCCUPATION: Florida House of Representatives
RESIDENCY: Fort Lauderdale
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Baptist
EDUCATION: University of Florida
PERSONAL: Married with two sons
Bobby DuBose is the current minority leader in the Florida House. He has represented District 94, which includes most of Fort Lauderdale, since 2014.
DuBose is the Democratic ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Prior to seeking state office, DuBose served as vice mayor of Fort Lauderdale from 2011 to 2012.
Omari Hardy
AGE: 31
OCCUPATION: Florida House of Representatives
RESIDENCY: West Palm Beach
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Christian
EDUCATION: University of Miami
PERSONAL: Single
Omari Hardy was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in November.
Prior to that, Hardy was a Lake Worth Beach commissioner who made headlines in 2020 when he objected to shutting off electricity to residents behind on their bills early on during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dale Holness
AGE: 64
OCCUPATION: Broward County Commissioner
RESIDENCY: Plantation
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: N/A
EDUCATION: N/A
PERSONAL: N/A
Dale Holness was first elected to the Broward County Commission in 2010, receiving the endorsement of Hastings.
Holness represents District 9, encompassing all or portions of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Sunrise, Tamarac and Plantation.
The real estate agent and mortgage broker has served as both mayor and vice mayor during his tenure.
Greg Musselwhite
AGE: N/A
OCCUPATION: Welding inspector
RESIDENCY: N/A
POLITICAL PARTY: Republican
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Baptist
EDUCATION: University of South Alabama (undergraduate)
PERSONAL: N/A
Greg Musselwhite was the first candidate to declare for Hastings' seat on the same day that he died.
Musselwhite won the Republican primary last year in a bid to unseat Hastings, but he lost to the incumbent in the November general election.
Barbara Sharief
AGE: 49
OCCUPATION: Broward County Commissioner
RESIDENCY: Miramar
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Muslim
EDUCATION: Florida International University (undergraduate degree), Wilkes University (doctorate degree)
PERSONAL: Mother of three daughters
Barbara Sharief made history in Broward County when she was selected as its first Black mayor.
Sharief was elected to the Miramar City Commission in 2009 and became vice mayor the next year. She was then elected to the Broward County Commission in 2010, representing District 8, which includes all or portions of Hallandale Beach, Miramar, Pembroke Park, Pembroke Pines and West Park.
After serving as vice mayor in 2012, she became the county's first Black mayor in 2013. She also held the titles of vice mayor and mayor again in 2015 and 2016.
A nurse practitioner by trade, the South Florida native is the founder and CEO of South Florida Pediatric Homecare, which has been providing pediatric and adult health care services since 2001.
Priscilla Taylor
AGE: 71
OCCUPATION: Retired insurance agency owner
RESIDENCY: West Palm Beach
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Episcopal
EDUCATION: Barry University (undergraduate degree), Palm Beach Atlantic University (graduate degree)
PERSONAL: Divorced with two children
Priscilla Taylor is a former Port of Palm Beach commissioner and state legislator who has been absent from politics since 2016.
Taylor was first elected to the Florida House in 2004, winning re-election in 2006 and 2008. She was Democratic whip from 2004-06.
Endorsed by Addie Greene after her resignation, Taylor gave up a re-election bid to accept an appointment by then-Gov. Charlie Crist to fill Greene's seat on the Palm Beach County Commission in 2009.
Appointed Palm Beach County mayor in 2014, Taylor lost her seat on the county commission in 2016. She later unsuccessfully sought to become the next mayor of West Palm Beach in 2019.
Perry Thurston
AGE: 60
OCCUPATION: Florida Senate
RESIDENCY: Fort Lauderdale
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Baptist
EDUCATION: Morehouse College (undergraduate degree), University of Miami (law degree)
PERSONAL: Married with son and daughter
Perry Thurston was elected without opposition to the Florida Senate in 2016.
The Fort Lauderdale attorney previously served four terms in the Florida House from 2006-14 and was the House minority leader in his final term.
Thurston unsuccessfully sought to unseat Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2014, but his campaign ended when he lost to George Sheldon in the Democratic primary.
He is expected to succeed Gary Farmer as minority leader of the state Senate in the next legislative session.
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There are no Republicans who have officially announced a bid in the congressional district, which skews heavily Democratic.
It will be up to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to determine when a special election will be held in the congressional district, which skews heavily Democratic. He has not yet set a date.
