Judge candidate switches races

PUNTA GORDA — With days before the deadline to file, Mike Powell is throwing his hat into a slightly different ring.

The Punta Gorda attorney has withdrawn from the race to succeed Charlotte County Judge Peter Bell and instead chosen to run for the judgeship now held by Paul Alessandroni.

The latter race, in Judge Group 3, previously saw a single candidate: Scott Weinberg. What was once an uncontested race is now a two-man contest for a county judgeship.

When reached for comment last week, Powell said that he decided to take his chances in the other election after evaluating the field.

“You have some time to navigate, see who’s running where,” he said in a phone interview.

The deadline for candidates to commit to a particular race is 5 p.m. on Friday, April 26.

Powell, a prosecutor who later went into private practice as a defense attorney, initially ran in Judge Group 1 for Bell’s current seat.

His previous opponents — attorneys Kathryn Wallace and Jeff Rapkin — are still filed to run against each other for the position, along with new contender Sean M. Lux.

Lux is the husband of Punta Gorda city councilwoman Debi Lux, who unseated former council member Mark Kuharski last year.

Records on the Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections website show that Powell has so far raised just shy of $47,000 for his campaign, mostly from a $36,399 self-loan.

Weinberg, by contrast, has raised $92,344 over the course of the election cycle, including a $75,000 self-loan.

Election records state that Rapkin provided a $100,000 self-loan to fund his campaign, along with a $100 self-donation and $1,000 from a supporter.

Wallace has only raised $29,225, with $15,000 of that amount coming from a self-loan.

Lux has no current election campaign finances on the Supervisor of Elections website as of Monday afternoon.