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Rusty Roberts, former chief of staff for U.S. Congressman John Mica, has entered the race for his boss' old seat, bringing the total number of known Republican candidates to 12.

Florida's 7th District,held by Democrat Stephanie Murphy, will be vacant with her decision to retire from Congress. And redistricting is expected to shift the district from blue to red, with new boundaries crossing over into the southern half of Volusia County while also comprising all of Seminole County and a smaller portion of Orange County.

So it's attracted a slew of Republicans, including three who've proven to be prolific fundraisers: Brady Duke, who'd raised more than $900,000 by Dec. 31; Cory Mills, with nearly$760,000 at that point; and Anthony Sabatini, who'd gathered $733,000.

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Starting in March, months behind those and other candidates, Roberts istying his candidacy to his previous work on Capitol Hill as the top aide for 18 years to Mica, a 12-term congressman and former chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

I will be a congressman who works not just talks.My work with John Mica helped secure positive results for Seminole, Volusia and Orange counties," Robertssaid in a news release Tuesday.

Roberts listed a number of Mica's accomplishments, including:

Roberts also was chief of staff for former U.S. Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami and for six years was South Florida director for former U.S. Sen.Paula Hawkins.

After Mica's upset loss to Murphy in 2016, Roberts has worked as a vice president for Brightline Trains, the private high-speed rail project linking Miami to Orlando. He sits as a Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee on the Florida Transportation Commission, overseeing the Florida Department of Transportation.

Here's a look at some of the other leading candidates:

Benfield, of DeBary, is a businesswoman and former DeBary City Council member and vice mayor. She ran unsuccessfully for Florida House District 27 in 2020. Born in Puerto Rico, she has lived on the mainland U.S. since age 6. She owns Florida Living Quarters, an interior design firm, and Design or List It, a real estate brokerage. She is married and has three children.

A former member of Navy SEAL Team One, Christian minister and law-enforcement trainer,Duke is the father of five children. He lives in Oviedo with his wife Julie. Duke served in the military from 2006 to 2015, deploying in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 as a sniper and breacher.

Mills, who lists a business office in Winter Park as his address on an FEC document, is a husband and father who served in the U.S. Army with deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. He was injured, struck twice by explosives in 2006, and earned a Bronze Star. Following his service, Mills cofounded Pacem Solution International and Pacem Defense LLC with his wife, Rana. The contract service has provided risk assessments, intelligence and security abroad.

Sabatini, a lawyer from Howey-in-the-Hills, serves in the Florida House of Representatives in District 32, a Lake County seat. He is married and a captain in the Florida Army National Guard. Sabatini is known for attacking Republican Legislature leadership, calling House Speaker Chris Sprowls a "RINO" and filing bills including one proposing to prohibit transgender surgeries on children. His legal work includes numerous lawsuits against Florida local governments' emergency orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other candidates who have filed, either with the Federal Election Commission or state Division of Elections, include:

Allek Pastrana of Orlandois the only Democrat to file with the state.

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Crowded field emerges for 7th Congressional District, expected to include southern Volusia - Daytona Beach News-Journal