Fort Lauderdale attorney Carlos Reyes is throwing his name into the ring to duke it out against Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Florida’s 23rd Congressional District.
Reyes plans to officially announce his candidacy and file paperwork for the South Florida seat on Monday, but sent out an email to supporters Sunday evening conveying his intent to run for Congress, hoping to get a head start in garnering Republicans’ support as he heads into a crowded primary field.
Reyes has never held public office but has been involved in a variety of charitable organizations. From 1999 to 2007 he served as commissioner, chairman and vice chairman of the South Broward Hospital District.
The South Florida attorney and son of Cuban immigrants said he was compelled to run for office after witnessing a political system embroiled in internal and external chaos, as well as a general deterioration of core American values.
“As I consider all that is happening in the country, the disharmony we see everywhere, the drastic decline in values, traditions, education, respect, and challenges to bedrock principles that have served our great nation from its’ foundation, I can’t help but think where will this end?” Reyes wrote to supporters.
What Reyes sees, he told supporters, greatly concerns him.
“I look around and for the first time worry about what world, what America are we leaving to our kids, our nieces, nephews, and their kids - as a grandfather of three those queries are more relevant to me than ever,” he continued. “An America that truly appears to be on the decline, one, which I can no longer stand on the sidelines and watch.”
A catchphrase close to Reyes’ heart is to always “leave people better off than when you found them,” which he hopes to do by running -- and winning -- in CD23.
Voter makeup and the current candidate field indicate that won’t be an easy task, however. Reyes now joins two other Republicans -- Joe Kaufman, who ran against Wasserman Schultz twice in 2014 and in 2016, and Navy veteran and nurse Carla Spalding -- in the race to unseat Wasserman Schultz.
They aren’t the only ones trying to give the six-term congresswoman a run for her money. Democrat Tim Canova is also vying for the seat, which covers parts of Miami-Dade County including Miami Beach. The race is largely seen as a contest between Wasserman Schultz and Canova.
CD23 is a heavily Democratic district, making a Republican candidacy for the seat less than likely. The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district +11 for the Democrats, which leaves the seats safely within their clutches for 2018.
The larger question regarding the South Florida district is just how, exactly, Wasserman Schultz’s recent scandals will impact her candidacy.
The last year has been particularly problem-filled for Wasserman Schultz, who has essentially fallen from the upper echelon of Democrats due to a series of scandals plaguing her in Washington.
Last year, Wasserman Schultz found herself in a tight spot after the anonymous network Wikileaks released thousands of emails indicating Wasserman Schultz and other top-ranking Democrats secretly favored Hillary Clinton over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders when the two were running for president.
The revelation caused an outcry within the Democratic party, particularly among pro-Sanders activists who contended Wasserman Schultz and the DNC had attempted to purposely sabotage the Vermont senator’s run for the White House.
Feeling pressure from the dissent and disorder within her own party, Wasserman Schultz quickly resigned from her position.
“I know that electing Hillary Clinton as our next president is critical for America’s future,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement at the time of her resignation. “I look forward to serving as a surrogate for her campaign in Florida and across the country to ensure her victory.”
The South Florida Democrat won her 2016 reelection bid and laid relatively low until she was once again thrown into the fire of another political scandal, this time involving one of her own staffers’ run-in with the law.
Wasserman Schultz once again made headlines for keeping a top aide on her payroll for nearly six months after he was banned from accessing the congressional computer network and fired by two other members of Congress.
Awan applied for a $165,000 home equity loan for a rental property, which violates credit union’s policies since he was not the owner. Investigators said the funds from the home equity loan were then used as part of $283,000 which was wire transferred to two people in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
It was not until Imran Awan was arrested on bank fraud charges at an airport trying to fly to Pakistan -- and the charges went public -- that Wasserman Schultz finally decided to cut the cord.
Wasserman Schultz remained defiant amidst the controversy and backlash, insisting she had no regrets on how she handled the situation.
“I believe that I did the right thing, and I would do it again,” Wasserman Schultz told the Sun Sentinel last week. “There are times when you can’t be afraid to stand alone and you have to stand up for what’s right.”
Critics have slammed Wasserman Schultz's actions as a severe lack of discretion and respect for law enforcement's investigation into the matter.
"The whole thing is disappointing," Democratic opponent Tim Canova said. "She waited until the day after he was actually arrested...at the very least, it shows a lot of poor judgment...people are tired of this. It's one constant drama and scandal after another with her."
Even former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush weighed in on the scandal, trashing both Wasserman Schultz and her fellow U.S. House Democrats.
"The incompetence and terrible judgment displayed by Debbie Wasserman Schultz and House Democrats is jarring," he tweeted Sunday afternoon.
The primary election for CD23 will be held next year.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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