The Florida gubenatorial race has some deep Miami Lakes ties.
State Senator Bryan Avila was recently announced as Republican Byron Donalds’ running mate and would-be lieutenant governor. Avila’s largely Hialeah-based Florida Senate District 39 includes Miami Lakes.
Democrat David Jolly’s running mate is former U.S. Representative Gwen Graham.
The Miami Lakes native is the daughter of the late Florida governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham, and a member of Miami Lakes’ founding family.
The Donalds campaign announced Avila as his running mate in late August. Jolly announced Graham as his running mate in June.
Avila resigned from his state senate position when he was announced as Donalds’ running mate; the special election to replace him has not yet been announced.
Graham has not held elected office since leaving the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017. She ran for governor in 2018, losing in the Democrat primary to Andrew Gillum. From 2021 to 2025, she worked in the Department of Education as Assistant Secretary of Education for Legislation and Congressional Affairs.