Miami
FLORIDA Florida Chamber of Commerce backs Mike Friend in the race for House District 102
The business group added the Broward Democrat to its 2026 voter guide. Florida Politics reported he is the only House candidate from the county to receive its support.
Mike Friend, a Democrat, dentist and candidate for Florida House District 102, has won the endorsement of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, according to Florida Politics.
The outlet reported that the organization included him in its 2026 voter guide and that Friend is the only House candidate from Broward County to receive its backing.
In a statement released by Friend’s campaign, Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said Friend has the leadership needed to keep Florida’s economic momentum going and to help advance the state’s goal of becoming a top 10 global economy while delivering more than 755,000 new jobs by 2030.
Florida Politics said Friend describes himself as a Blue Dog Democrat, a moderate or conservative wing within the party. His campaign says he is focused on bipartisan cooperation on economic issues while also pushing to lower household costs, change property insurance policy, support public schools, protect abortion access and improve public safety.
Friend said, in remarks cited by his campaign and reported by Florida Politics, that Democrats and Republicans can find common ground if they focus less on political credit and more on the people they were elected to serve. He also said he is a first-time candidate rather than a career politician.
The Chamber endorsement adds to a broader list of political and organizational support Friend has collected since launching his campaign in December 2024, Florida Politics reported. That list includes state lawmakers, Broward County officials, municipal leaders and groups such as the AFL-CIO, the Florida Dental Association, Florida Planned Parenthood PAC and Florida Realtors PAC.
Friend will face Republican Mery Lopez-Palma in the general election. According to Florida Politics, he won his Democratic Primary with 52% of the vote against Jayden D’Onofrio, while Lopez-Palma took about 58% in the Republican contest against Jason Smith.
House District 102 covers inland Broward communities, including parts of Davie, Plantation and Sunrise, and leans Democratic, according to Florida Politics. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
