Dems Back to Square One vs. David Rivera; Is It Alex Penelas Time?

The withdrawal of Luis Garcia from the 26th Congressional District contest leaves the Democratic field open to Alex Penelas, the nominee the national party was courting all along.

Snubbed by DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and frustrated by a lack of party support, Garcia announced Monday night he would not challenge Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami. The state representative said he would run instead for county commission.

"They're going to revive a couple of political cadavers that have lost other elections ... They missed a big opportunity to take that seat back," Garcia told the Miami Herald.

Penelas says he's still not committed to running, but Democrats don't have many other options. Conventional wisdom suggests that the former Miami-Dade mayor would be a tougher opponent than Joe Garcia (no relation to Luis), who lost to Rivera two years ago.

While Rivera reportedly remains under investigation over a secret $500,000 dog-track payment, Penelas has issues of his own.

"He campaigned for a penny sales tax increase for transit projects and promised improvements that never came. There was massive fraud and corruption," Barry University political science professor Sean Foreman recalled.

Penelas also may have burned some bridges with Democratic loyalists.

"He didn't help Al Gore when he left the country at the time of the [2000] election. He said the county wasn't going to protect the streets or be responsible for violence that occurred in response to [Attorney General Janet Reno's ordered seizure of] Elian Gonzalez," Foreman added.