There's a four-way race for the seat representing House District 106 in northeast Miami-Dade County. Two of the candidates have one letter differentiating their names.
One is Joe Saunders, a Democrat who became one of Florida's first openly gay lawmakers. The other is Moe Saunders, a mysterious candidate who listed a St. Johns County address on paperwork she submitted to the state last week.
Until about 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Moe Saunders' name appeared on the Florida Division of Elections website as "Maureen Saunders Scott." Then it switched.
The Miami New Times flagged the similarities between the names of Joe Saunders and Maureen Scott Saunders on Monday, three days before the switch.
Ben Wilcox of the government watchdog group told the New Times it appeared Saunders Scott "could be a ghost candidate" — a person who enters a race not to win but to siphon votes from another, more viable candidate.
In 2020, a ghost candidate with a name similar to then-incumbent Democratic Sen. José Javier Rodríguez drew enough votes — more than 6,000 — from likely confused voters to unseat him by just 34 votes. The winner in the race, Miami Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, handily won re-election in 2022 and denied any knowledge of underhandedness. Former state Rep. Frank Artiles is now facing criminal charges for coordinating the scheme.
Multiple sources told Florida Politics that Maureen Saunders Scott is a disgruntled relative of Joe Saunders and is running to spoil his campaign.
Both qualified for the HD 106 race this week. So did the district incumbent, Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe, and his lone Primary challenger, Melinda Almonte.
The name switch Thursday occurred despite stricter requirements in a sweeping election law GOP legislators pushed through during the 2023 Session that, among other things, mandates that candidates who wish to run under nicknames would have to file a separate affidavit asking for it.
Florida Politics contacted the Florida Division of Elections for an explanation as to why the name change was authorized and will update this report upon receipt of a response.
HD 106 covers a northeastern portion of Miami-Dade, including 10 coastal municipalities from Fisher Island and South Beach to Aventura and Sunny Isles Beach.
The Primary Election is on Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.
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