Former Miami-Dade Democratic Party chief Joe Garcia resigned his post at the Department of Energy on Tuesday and announced his bid to run for the South Florida Congressional District 25 seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-FL. Diaz-Balart is, in turn, planning to run for the seat currently held by his retiring brother, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart.
Garcia ran a close race against Mario Diaz-Balart in 2008, coming within six points of a victory.
In a year of ample hotly contested races, this one promises to be one of the more closely watched ones by experts. Miami Republican state Rep. David Rivera announced his candidacy last month. He already has raised $700,000 and will be the beneficiary of a fundraiser April 26 hosted by top Republicans, including House Republican leader John Boehner.
Democrats are eager for another shot at this seat in hopes of providing representation for the changing political demographics of a more moderately liberal South Florida. While he will face a primary challenge in August, Garcia’s bid for this seat was anticipated widely.
Garcia said to the Naples Daily News, “I’m running because I’ve gotten thousands of calls from folks, working people in the district having a tough time, they need help and they need representation.”
He added, “Obviously this is a tough decision for my family and myself. It’s a tremendous sacrifice, but we want to help. We want to be part of the solution, not of the problem.”
In a YouTube video released yesterday, Garcia, joined by his wife of 18 years, Aileen, and 12-year-old daughter Gaby, said that his top priorities are to create jobs, fully-fund schools and cut the deficit, saying “This is a tough time. I know how battered the economy is and I know that the people of South Florida need a voice, they need a voice for their future.”
Garcia was appointed by President Obama to be the director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Minority Economic Impact. He indicated that the White House was “very excited by the prospect of someone who has served the administration engaged in a vigorous debate on ideas of how to help American families.”
Democrats say they now have a voter advantage in the once comfortably Republican district and that early polling is favorable for Garcia.
Go Joe!!! He’s exactly what South Florida and the U.S. Congress need right now!!! This is a BFD!