Florida Representative David Richardson was planning for a re-election campaign against Republican Laura Rivero Levey in District 113. But a returned check has instead given Richardson the election without a single vote being cast, according to the News Service of Florida.
“I just got a call from the Florida Department of Elections and was notified that my Republican opponent’s check covering the election filing fee has ‘bounced,” Richardson wrote on Facebook.
The Department of State told the NSF that Levey’s “qualifying check was returned so she is no longer qualified.
The Republican Party said it was a banking error and that the party was planning on working with the division of elections to correct the problem. However, the Department of State said the decision to remove Levey was “final.”
The NSF reported that Levey listed among her contributions $2,000 from the state party. Richardson has raised $158,128, loaned himself $76,366, and spent $56,909.
District 113 covers much of Miami Beach and North Bay Village.
