Poll floats Bruno Barreiro for Congress vs. Joe Garcia

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Add another potential name to the already crowded Republican primary ballot in Congressional District 26.

A push poll over the weekend put Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro in the mix and, while some people might think that is laughable, Barreiro has set his eyes on Congress before.

“Would you vote for Bruno Barreiro if you knew that he voted to keep taxes down,” the recorded and automated push poll asked.

There were a couple of other questions and then it pit Barreiro — who, ironically, is facing a possible, albeit half-assed, recall in his own faraway district — against the three other Republicans in the August primary: Miami-Dade School Board Member Carlos Curbelo, Cutler Bay Mayor Ed MacDougall and former Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez are all vying for a chance to unseat Congressman Joe Garcia in November.

“He’s way out of his comfort zone,” Martinez told Ladra. “This is nowhere near his district.”

Barreiro has reportedly been polled before in both the old District 25, when it belonged to former Congressman David “Nine Lives” Rivera, and District 27 against Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is pretty much unbeatable and announced at the NRCC meeting in Sarasota over the weekend that she intended to serve another eight years.

And a website group for his would-be Congressional bid also popped up over the weekend. The “Draft Bruno Barreiro for Congress” page has 221 members and lists the address and phone number as his parent’s property management company in Little Havana. The group members include lobbyists like Steve Marin and Jose “El Chino” Fuentes as well as Commissioner Esteban Bovo and State Rep. Jeannette Nuñez.

But that doesn’t mean they are supporting a Bruno bid for Congress and they may actually be surprised to find themselves on that list. Ladra contacted one of the attorneys listed as a group member and he said he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“Hell no,” were actually his words. “Somebody added me without my permission.”

So that’s why Curbelo’s name is on the list, too. Because Ladra doubts he would support this run. Longtime political consultant Rick Sisser commented on facebook that he had not given permission either.

Barreiro didn’t know anything about the website until Ladra called him and sent him a link. But he knew about the poll — athough he says he didn’t do it himself — plus another poll that apparently put him in the race for property appraiser. He said he is keeping his options open and, yes, has always had an interest in Congress.

“It’s not a secret. Ive always said in the future I’d like to run for something higher, possibly Congress,” Barreiro told Ladra, adding that he did not know who did the poll nor what the results were.

“People are asking me to run and I’m considering it,” Barreiro said. “The issue becomes ‘Is this the right district? Or the right time.’

“I gotta take a look at it so, yes, I am looking at the district.”

And he can look as long as he likes. Barreiro is not termed out at the county until 2020. Maye he can wait for IRL to retire.

  Bruno Barreiro, Congressional district 26