David Rivera Ends Bid to Challenge Joe Garcia, Will Run for Florida House in 2016

Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., announced on Friday that, with congressional redistricting up in the air, he was ending his bid for the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., the man who beat him in 2012. Rivera announced he will run for the Florida House in 2016.

As you may have already heard, yesterday a Florida court outrageously invalidated the state's congressional district map which had been drawn by the Florida Legislature in 2012, Rivera announced to supporters. This decision has created great uncertainty as to the final composition of all of Florida's congressional districts, including CD 26 in South Florida, for which I am a candidate. In essence, liberal activist judges are hijacking the reapportionment process and holding congressional candidates, like myself, hostage until the appeals process concludes at the liberal Democrat-dominated Florida Supreme Court (see Bush v. Gore 2000). As a congressional candidate affected by this decision, I will not be held hostage by Florida's liberal activist judges.

"After consulting with state legislative leaders and reapportionment attorneys, and pending further clarification of this court decision, I have decided to suspend campaigning for CD 26 and will launch my candidacy to the Florida State House of Representatives for the 2016 election cycle. There are just too many issues to solve in Florida -- Common Core, Medicaid, economic development and others -- to sit by and wait for unelected judges to decide the fate of congressional districts. As always, I am humbled and grateful for your support of my candidacy. However, while Florida's liberal activist judges may cast uncertainty by hijacking the congressional reapportionment process, I simply will not allow myself to be one of their hostages.

With Rivera out, Miami-Dade School Board member Carlos Curbelo is a strong favorite to win next months Republican primary to challenge Garcia.