Republican Jose Felix Diaz and Democrat Annette Taddeo handily defeated their opponents Tuesday in a Miami-Dade County special primary election as they seek to replace a GOP senator who resigned after a profanity-laced tirade this spring.

Diaz, who stepped down from his House seat to pursue the open Senate post, cruised to victory over former state Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, a member of a Miami-Dade political dynasty who once served as Senate majority leader and who spent more than 16 years as a legislator before leaving the Capitol due to term limits.

In the Democratic primary, Taddeo, who was Rep. Charlie Crist's running mate in his unsuccessful 2014 bid for governor, defeated Ana Rivas Logan, a Republican-turned Democrat and former Miami-Dade County School Board member.