Republican Irina Vilariño has launched a bid to take on U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., in what is expected to be one of the closest congressional races in the Sunshine State next year.
Vilariño, a businesswoman who owns restaurants, entered the race to represent all of Monroe County and parts of Miami-Dade County in Congress on Wednesday.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunities my family has had to live the American Dream,” said Vilariño. “I am passionate about preserving the possibility of achieving success for other families in search of freedom and a better life. It’s imperative that we protect and promote our free enterprise system rather than give way to calls for socialist policies that may sound appealing but always end up leading to bankruptcy and misery.”
Vilariño’s team showcased her biography as she entered the race, including highlighting she and her family escaped Cuba as part of the Mariel boatlift in 1980. She came out swinging at Mucarsel-Powell, tying her to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and promising to fight for “pro-growth policies that help working families, lower taxes and fewer regulations, a strong national defense, and the protection of our quality of life.” Vilariño also stressed her opposition abortion and to the communist regime in Cuban and the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
“I am running for Congress because I want to set the record straight that under socialism there is only an equal opportunity to achieve poverty, and I want to remind the liberal extremists that in freedom, every person has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream," said Vilariño. “My grandparents emigrated to Cuba from Spain to escape socialism. My parents came to the United States from Cuba to escape communism. If we don’t fight to preserve our freedoms here, there is no place left in the world for my daughter to go. We must preserve the American Dream. This is the cause that will define the success of our generation, and I urge you to join with me on this mission.”
Vilariño becomes the first Republican to challenge Mucarsel-Powell who edged U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., last year. Democrats made up 36 percent of the district last year while Republicans made up 31 percent of it. Back in 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton took 57 percent of the vote in the district while Republican Donald Trump took just under 40 percent.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has already waded into the race, including launching a digital ad on healthcare earlier this week. The DCCC has also added Mucarsel-Powell to its “Frontline” program to help targeted incumbents in swing districts.
The National Republicans Congressional Committee (NRCC) has listed Mucarsel-Powell as a top target in 2020 and has already launched attacks on her.
