Thurston draws GOP opponent for Senate seat

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Former state House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Lauderhill, has drawn a Republican opponent as he seeks to win a Broward County Senate seat. Republican Antoaneta Mihaylova Iotova opened a campaign account Tuesday to run against Thurston in Senate District 33, according to the state Division of Elections website. Thurston, who served in the House from 2006 to 2014, had raised $97,745 for the Senate race as of May 31 and had nearly $57,000 in cash on hand. No other candidates have opened accounts for the race. Meanwhile in Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Republican Keith Walters became the seventh candidate to open a campaign account in Duval County's House District 13. The race has become crowded since federal prosecutors in April announced the indictment of incumbent Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, on wire-fraud and tax charges. Walters joined fellow Republicans Daniel Evans Jr., Darren Gardner and Mark Griffin in opening accounts for the race. Along with Fullwood, the Democratic candidates are Tracie Davis and Jacques Gaillot Jr.