TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) - Longtime Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will be stepping down at the end of this term, and a crowded pool of Republicans are “running to replace” her, but first, they’ll have to win their party’s nomination. 7’s Jeff Lennox has a preview of all the candidates.
It’s a seat she has held onto for close to four decades.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “It’s been the greatest honor of my professional life to have represented our community for so many years, ’cause it’s almost 40 years.”
Senior U.S. Representative from Florida Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is vacating her seat in Washington.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “What a joy it has been, and it’s really been a wonderful adventure.”
Looking for their own adventure in the District 27 seat is a deep field of fellow Republican hopefuls. Nine South Florida candidates are making the rounds, hoping to win the Republican primary and keep Congressional District 27 in the GOP column.
Leading the pack in polls is Bruno Barreiro, who stepped down from the Miami-Dade County Commission after serving 20 years to run.
A Cuban immigrant, his political career started in 1992 when he was elected to serve in the Florida House of Representatives. Barreiro is a long-standing critic of the Castro regime.
Bruno Barreiro: “I think we also have to not permit these five-year visas that the Castro regime is giving.”
Another top contender is Maria Elvira Salazar. Salazar is a Cuban-American journalist who has worked for CNN, Univision and Telemundo. Salazar interviewed the late Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro 20 years ago.
Maria Elvira Salazar: “I have earned the trust and the respect of this community, because for the last 35 years, I have covered the most important issues that effect this community with utmost integrity.”
Rounding out the top four are Angie Chirino and Dr. Maria Piero.
Chirino is an accomplished songwriter and the daughter of Cuban pop sensation Willy Chirino. She gives her take on Cuba-U.S. relations.
Angie Chirino: “When we talk about chumminess with Cuba, it cuts very, very deep. We see the strength of our president. We know these tyrants respond to strength.”
And Piero is a veteran educator of 22 years in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. When it comes to immigration, she finds herself closely aligned with President Trump on this topic.
Maria Piero: “The first thing we need to do is that we need to secure that border once and for all. I will provide the funding for President Trump to build his big, beautiful wall.”
The five other GOP contenders include:
Michael Ohevzion, who was born in Brazil and raised Jewish. This retired U.S. Marine said he wants to serve and give back to his community..
Stephen Marks has worked with several Republican campaigns in the past, notably, Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Rick Scott.
Marks said one of his top priorities, if elected, is pushing for an increase in Alzheimer’s research. His mother died from the disease.
Another candidate is Bettina Rodriguez-Aguilera. Born in Cuba, she worked for years as an educator at Miami-Dade College and the University of Miami. If Florida voters seat her, she said she would go to Washington with a working class agenda.
Also in the running, Gina Sosa. Sosa, too, was born in Cuba.
Education, safeguarding schools and immigration and border security are items topping her agenda.
Lastly, there is Elizabeth Adadi. She served seven years in the army and has a doctorate of education. Safeguarding civil liberties, the economy and education are issues she would focus on in the nation’s capital.
The primary is set for Aug. 28. Early voting runs from Aug. 18 through the 25th.
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