A South Florida congressional election -- one of the tightest in the nation -- ended with a bang as big-name national politicians hit the stump and both sides went all out on the attack.
Looking to keep his seat, freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., had Vice President Joe Biden by his side on Sunday and, on Monday, campaigned with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Palmetto Bay. But Garica was not the only candidate showing off big-name support. Republican challenger Miami-Dade School Board member Carlos Curbelo showcased the support of popular South Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and rising star state Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, on Sunday.
As the campaign went into its final days, Garcia pointed to reports that Curbelo had to refile his campaign finance paperwork. Curbelos campaign blamed a glitch for not reporting $90,000 in PAC contributions. That wasnt enough for Garcia who insisted on Sunday that Curbelo had a blatant disregard for campaign finance laws which was downright despicable.
Curbelos team responded by noting Garcia had spent months trying to keep his distance from President Barack Obama but was wrapping up his campaigning with Biden on Sunday. The Curbelo campaign also released a video over the weekend, hitting Garcia on other fronts, including his own ethical problems.
As Vice President Joe Biden takes the stage today, scandal-plagued Joe Garcia will be praying and hoping that his last-minute pivot back into the arms of the White House will hide the fact that his campaign is under federal criminal investigation and has a long history of scandals, partisan divisiveness, and reckless conduct that have embarrassed our community, said Wadi Gaitan, a spokesman for Curbelo, on Sunday. And just maybe, Joe Biden will take a minute to explain why he stands with an incumbent whose campaign has committed absentee fraud and illegally recruited a straw candidate.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
