Now that absentee ballots are dropping next week, we’re going to start seeing more activity in one of the dogfights Ladra had in this year’s midterm elections: The battle between attorney and young GOP climber, Daniel Diaz Leyva, and Democrat freshman 
State Rep. Jose Javier “J-Rod” Rodriguez.
So far, it had really been a yawner and Ladra was starting to get disappointed.
But, then, just in time for the ABs set to arrive, campaign mailers started to arrive practically daily in the past week like rapid fire from Diaz Leyva, who has spent way more money than the incumbent, including $25,000 last month on TV ad production. His ad has aired on TV and was posted on the web Wednesday.
Rodriguez who hasn’t done any advertising, said his two first mailers will arrive in homes over the weekend. At least one of them, Ladra suspects, will be aglow with J-Rod’s fight against the Dolphin stadium tax scam and FPL’s desire to expand.
Someone described one of the more recent Diaz Leyva pieces to me as a hit piece. Hit piece? On Rodriguez? Other than going up as a freshman against the aforementioned giants kinda like a hero, J-Rod has been pretty low key. What can he be hit with? Being a wallflower? Looking a little like a Cabbage Patch Kid?
Read related story: Dolphin stadium deal dies
Diaz Leyva’s mailer makes him out to be a against everything: He voted against road construction projects. He voted against job creation. He voted 
against funds for our schools.
“It’s time to replace Representative Jose Javier Rodriguez,” it ends.
But Rodriguez never voted against any one of those things. While he ensured there was money for things in his district like meals for the elderly and the restoration of Miami Marine Stadium, J-Rod voted against the budget as a whole, because of what he says is government misspending.
“I wish I could have taken things out of it, but it’s an up or down vote,” Rodriguez said.
“I am very proud that I voted against a $77 billion budget that included half a billion in extra new revenue. But instead if putting it in the classrooms, most of it got divvied up in special projects,” J-Rod told Ladra.
His main beef is money that is cut from education. “Two thirds of our education system is funded by property and state taxes. That’s insane. The state role should be bigger,” he said.
Rodriguez voted against a budget that didn’t have more for education. And Diaz Leyva knows that. So this mailer is evidence that he is either (1) disingenuous to bring this up and try to fool voters, because Rodriguez did not vote against jobs or schools or sweaters for homeless blind children, for that matter, and/or (2) proof that Diaz Leyva is, as everyone says, pretty much an insider party postalita yes man who will be a good boy, now, and tow the majority line.
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