Articles

Mario Diaz-Balart reelected to Congress unopposed. Carlos Gimenez faces GOP primary

Miami Herald / David Smiley and Alex Daugherty / April 26, 2020

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, South Florida's only Republican member of Congress, coasted to a 10th term Friday after his lone opponent failed to qualify as a candidate. But Republican Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who hopes to join Diaz-Balart in Washington, will face an August primary from his own county employee.

Diaz-Balart, first elected to Congress in 2002, avoided a challenge from Democrat Yadira Escobar, whose long-shot campaign had drawn condemnation from the right and left due to her past praise of Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution. She did not meet the noon filing deadline to appear on the ballot.

Diaz-Balart said he was "humbled by the overwhelming support I received for my re-election campaign," adding that he looked forward to "continuing my work on the issues of importance to the people of the 25th Congressional District and the United States."

Democrats didn't bother to recruit a serious candidate in Diaz-Balart's district, which includes northwestern Miami-Dade County and portions of Collier and Hendry counties, despite President Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton by just two percentage points in the district in 2016.

Former Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mary Barzee Flores ran against Diaz-Balart in 2018 in his first serious challenge since 2008, but Diaz-Balart won reelection by 21 percentage points.

Gimenez, meanwhile, may be among the most high-profile congressional challengers in the country but first must beat Miami-Dade firefighter lieutenant Omar Blanco in a Republican primary if he intends to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell this November. The district, which has swapped party control multiple times in the last decade, stretches from West Miami-Dade County to Key West.

Gimenez, the strong mayor of Miami-Dade County, was forced into a primary after Blanco qualified to make the Aug. 18 ballot before Friday's deadline. Mucarsel-Powell, a freshman congresswoman, did not draw a Democratic challenger.

"This is going to be David vs. Goliath and I'm proud to be David in this race," Blanco said Thursday in an interview.

Blanco, a former firefighter union chief, had just $60,000 in campaign cash to begin the month and will likely struggle to reach voters at a time when he's had to cease neighborhood canvassing due to the pandemic. He said he is campaigning while continuing to work shifts as a firefighter and paramedic for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, which Gimenez oversees as the county's elected administrator.

Gimenez, who timed his late entry into the race around a January handshake and endorsement from President Donald Trump, was able to avoid a three-way primary after Irina Vilariño, a conservative firebrand, dropped out of the race Thursday following weeks of anemic fundraising.

But he won't have the luxury of simply focusing on Mucarsel-Powell, whose $2.2 million in campaign cash-on-hand at the beginning of April was five times the $415,000 Gimenez was able to raise during his first fundraising quarter as a candidate.

"Mayor Gimenez applauds Irina Vilariño for running a spirited campaign and wishes her well in her future endeavors," the campaign said in a statement issued by spokeswoman Nicole Rapanos. "While the mayor is confident his record will speak for itself this fall, now is not the time for politics. Mayor Gimenez remains focused on the public health crisis at hand and on helping working families emerge from this crisis."

The general election is Nov. 3.

Friday's noon qualifying deadline also locked in races for South Florida's other congressional districts:

▪ In Florida's 27th Congressional District, which includes most of coastal Miami-Dade County, U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala did not draw a Democratic challenger. But former journalist Maria Elvira Salazar, whose bid to force a rematch with Shalala has the support of Republican House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, will first have to fend off Republican Juan Fiol in August. Salazar had $900,000 in cash-on-hand. Shalala had $1.4 million.

▪ In Florida's 24th Congressional District, which includes most of north-central Miami-Dade, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson drew a Democratic challenge from Ricardo de la Fuente, whom she defeated by 67 percentage points in the 2018 primary, and Sakinah Lee Lehtola. Lavern Spicer is the only Republican in the race. The district is the most Democratic-leaning in Florida.

▪ In Florida's 23rd Congressional District, which is based in Broward but also includes portions of Northeast Miami-Dade County, Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz drew a primary challenge from Jennifer "Jen" Perelman. Michael Koske and Carla Spalding are running in the Republican primary. The district favors Democrats.

▪ In Florida's 22nd Congressional District, which includes portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch did not draw a primary challenge. Four Republicans are vying to run against him in November: Fran Flynn, Darlene Swaffar, Jessica "Jessi" Melton and James "Jim" Pruden. The district is considered to be safe territory for Democrats.

▪ In Florida's 20th Congressional District, which includes portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties, incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings filed to run for reelection, despite being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Hastings faces a primary challenge from Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. Republicans Vic DeGrammont and Greg Musselwhite qualified to run in the heavily Democratic district.