Even with the full weight of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee behind her, CD 26 candidate Annette Taddeo continues to hear the boo birds.
Today she got more bad news.
The Committee for Hispanic Causes (CHC) BOLD PAC came out with an endorsement for Joe Garcia, the Democrat who held the seat from 2013 to 2015, before Republican Carlos Curbelo beat him. Garcia is challenging Taddeo in the Democratic primary.
This has to be a major slap in the face for Taddeo. CHC BOLD PAC came out for Taddeo first, back when she was the only candidate on the Democratic ticket. But now that Garcia has challenged her, the Washington, D.C.-based PAC has apparently jumped to correct itself.
Mind you, they aren't rescinding the nod they gave Taddeo. They're calling it a "dual endorsement." I'm guessing they hope to avoid hard feelings all around. But to my knowledge, in all 15 years of its existence, the PAC has never endorsed two candidates in the same race.
Which makes this a key endorsement for Garcia.
In making the announcement, California Congressman Tony Cardenas, CHC BOLD PAC chairman, said, “Joe Garcia was a great partner in Congress and a tireless advocate. He was a leader in the fight for immigration reform, he fought to improve the lives of working people and to promote economic growth. BOLD PAC endorses Joe Garcia because we need more of his passion and leadership in Congress.”
CHC BOLD PAC describes its mission as pushing to "elect candidates passionate about issues that impact the Latino community in the United States and to ensuring a voice for Latinos in politics."
“It is an honor to receive the endorsement of BOLD PAC,” Garcia said. “I am the son of Latino immigrant parents so I know the contributions that Latinos are able to make to our community. That is why I worked to pass comprehensive immigration reform and why I succeeded in making college more affordable for all students ... when the Latino community moves forward so does our country.”
CD 26 has been redrawn since Curbelo beat Garcia in 2014 and now favors Democrats.
Taddeo had been running for about a year -- anointed by the national Democrats -- when Garcia jumped into the race Feb. 3. No wonder he was tempted in. Taddeo's grassroots fund-raising was woefully weak. Potential challengers were lining up, Curbelo was rubbing his hands. And no one had forgotten, as Charlie Crist's lieutenant governor choice in 2014, business woman and doctor's wife Taddeo was unable to offer a strong enough showing in South Florida to deliver a close gubernatorial election.
Already Garcia's widely publicized internal polls have him leading his primary opponent by double digits.
Meanwhile, something of a rebellion against the quick-trigger DCCC developed among Democrats in Congress. Seventeen of Garcia's supporters staged a big-money fund-raiser for their former colleague, essentially thumbing their nose at the DCCC. As Texas Democrat Rep. Filemon Vela, a Garcia supporter, told Politico, it “doesn’t make any sense whatsoever for the DCCC to engage on one side of this.”
Garcia's increasingly successful campaign has captured the attention of the other side of the aisle, too. Said Amelia Chassé, press secretary of America Rising PAC, "This is more proof that heavy-handed attempts by Washington Democrats to anoint their preferred candidates are backfiring and inflaming the grassroots. With Democrats already facing a huge uphill battle in the House, these messy primaries continue to be a self-inflicted headache for Democrats across the map."
By deadline, Taddeo was unavailable for comment on CHC's endorsement of Garcia.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
