District 27 candidate says it's "one of the most important districts in the entire country" as race heats up

After three terms in office, voters will decide whether to re-elect Republican Maria Elvira Salazar or possibly flip the seat for Democrats.

The race for District 27 in South Florida has been heating up in recent weeks, with former news anchor Eliott Rodriguez and ex-Trump supporter Lev Parnas joining the fray. Former homicide prosecutor Robin Peguero has been in the race for months now.

At 38 years old, businessman Richard Lamondin is the youngest candidate in the Democratic primary in District 27.

"District 27, is, I always say, the crown jewel of Florida," Lamondin said. "You have everywhere from downtown south to Richmond Heights, a really unique fabric of this community, Little Havana, Westchester."

According to some political experts, District 27 is newly "in play"-- shifting from solid Republican to likely Republican.

"This district is tired," he said. "They are tired of the partisanship. They're tired of the fighting. They're just trying to make it in a country, in a community, that feels like it's getting harder and harder."

Lamondin says he's looking to bring a fresh perspective to politics.

"It's pretty disappointing that many people under 50 do not feel like they are well represented," he said. "So, I think what I bring is the ability to change what the electorate looks like to excite young people, to let young parents know that there is someone living the challenges that they're facing, and really try to change the political landscape here in South Florida."

Lamondin has a 3-year-old son, and says he's worried about his future.

"The cost to raise a child in this community has increased tremendously. I'm a business owner. Tariffs have hammered my company over the last year. And I'm also taking care of my aging parents and their Social Security is not going as far as it used to," Lamondin explained. "So all of these challenges are building up and our district is ground zero for the affordability crisis, for the healthcare crisis, because we have some of the most Obamacare enrollees in the entire country, and also for climate crisis, in which we are on the front lines of sea level rise. So by every metric this is one of the most important districts in the entire country."

He's the founder and CEO of a company called ecofi, a water and energy conservation firm focused on helping businesses improve their sustainability. 

"I started my company based on a simple statistic that 20% of all toilets in the U.S. are leaking," Lamondin proclaimed. "I'm the only person whose day job has been to lower your water and energy bill. I'm the only person in this race that has had to make payroll, that has had to look their employees in the eye and tell them that the tariffs that Donald Trump has been pushing forward have caused us to freeze hiring in the company."

Lamondin's campaign website says his priorities are "Affordability. Security. Dignity."

If elected, he says he hopes to tackle issues related to housing, social security and healthcare.

"I'm a problem solver by nature and we have an immense number of problems that we need to deal with and that's why I think I'm the best suited to represent the Democratic Party in the seat," he said.

Lamondin has invited his opponents to debate.

So far, he says Peguero has agreed, but he hasn't yet heard from Rodriguez.

CBS News Miami spoke to Lev Parnas who said he would be willing to participate in a debate.

The primary election is August 18th.

It's important to note, CBS News Miami does not endorse candidates in this race or any other.