After Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) threw his hat into the ring earlier this week in the Sunshine State’s wide-open Senate race, the scramble to succeed him in the 17th district didn’t take long to get under way.

Former state Rep. Phillip Brutus (D) is expected to formally launch his campaign before the week is out, and state Sen. Frederica Wilson (D) and Miami Gardens Commissioner Andre Williams (D) both told the Miami Herald earlier this week that they intend to run. Wilson succeeded Meek in both the state House and state Senate.

The safe Democratic district includes parts of Miami and Hollywood, and it has the state’s highest percentage of black residents at 55 percent. Meek was first elected in 2002 when he succeeded his mother, former Rep. Carrie Meek (D). He didn’t receive a primary challenge in the seat until 2006, when he ended up winning the Democratic nomination with 90 percent of the vote. Meek has never garnered a Republican challenger in his four elections to Congress.