But officials should review shady third plantidate, too
The razor thin margin between Democrat Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez and his Republican challenger, Latinas for Trump Founder Ileana Garcia, grew to 31 votes between early Wednesday morning, when it was 21, and Friday, when state officials scheduled a recount that will begin Sunday.
The gap hit a low point of 18 on Wednesday night, before going to 20 on Thursday and then to 31 by Friday afternoon, as voters with problematic ballots provided cure affidavits and provisional ballots were counted. It’s a mirror of what’s happening on the national arena in Georgia and Pennsylvania. But because it is within the .25% margin, Secretary of State Laurel Lee called for a manual recount which apparently starts with a machine recount that must be completed by 5 p.m. Thursday, said Deputy Elections Supervisor Suzy Trutie.
So, we may not know who won that race until at least a week after we know who the president of the United States is.
It didn’t have to be this way.
Rodriguez is, or was, one of the Florida Democrats’ shining stars, a onetime hopeful for congress who in 2016 beat former Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a veteran pol, after only two terms in the Florida House. For the one local legislator who has focused on the state’s broken unemployment system to lose to Fulanita Garcia, who does not have Diaz de la Portilla’s experience or name recognition, is one of the biggest shockers of Tuesday’s election results.
Read related: Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez releases 1st TV ad in race vs Trump Latina Ileana Garcia
Especially after spending around $2 million between his campaign account and his political action committee, Initiative for Florida’s Future, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed with the state.
Meanwhile Garcia is a GOP puppet. The former TV commentator and Trump Latina Barbie — the former deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security when they were putting kids in cages (read: propagandist) — raised $462,679 between her account and her PAC, No More Socialism. Cute, huh?
But at least $228,163 was in-kind donations, mostly from the Florida Republican Party and its Senatorial Committee. Let’s also subtract $152,000 from Tallahassee-linked political action committees (more Republican money) and we have $82,516 left. Subtract at least $9,000 from lobbyists and government attorneys (more Republican establishment money) and you have $73,516 left. Subtract at least $5,500 from Sunshine Gasoline Max Alvarez — who was the exclusive distributor for Venezuelan oil in the U.S. and lobbied to lift sanctions against the Chavez/Maduro regime — and you have $68,016. She raised $60,016 from real people. Maybe.
Sure, she did use that 2020 playbook tactic that seemed to work for everybody — accusing J-Rod of wanting to defund the police and embracing socialist ideals. Just crazy how well that worked.
But there was another Miami playbook staple that may have been used: The plantidate. Alex Rodriguez, an NPA who got 6,377 votes and may have taken some votes from J-Rod because of the name confusion, has plantidate written all over him. He voted as a Republican two years ago, according to the Miami Herald, “loaned himself” $2,000 to qualify for this race in June and did not raise a dime or campaign at all. Mailers sent to voters on his behalf from some mystery source could very easily have also been funded by the Republican Party.
Ladra hopes that as votes in Senate District 37 are recounted, someone opens an investigation into the straw man’s campaign with the same zeal with which they went after former Congressman David Rivera for the same stunt.
Florida Senate 37 gap grows to 31 votes, Jose Javier Rodriguez heads to recount added by Ladra on
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Of course the Republican party targeted JJR, he is effective, he is relevant with knowledge of unemployment sys faults, he is smart (Harvard grad), he has a future and worse of all he challenges the Cuban party machine plantation system where all politicos are subservient to the development real estate re-zoning corruption machine that fuels the Latin Builders, Century, Codina, charter schools, everything that embodies the way corruption works in Miami-Dade and the state. Cubans who do not vote for Cubans threaten this, they are threatening the plantation/machine
its typical machine politics like Tammany Hall, Chicago, its the same play just a different group.
of course the Rep are afraid he must be stopped!
Where was JJR with the ongoing corruption wity the city of miami? All he cares about is political future he has no pair, he was taking selfies with rhe same thugs that run the city now.
This Alex Rodriguez looks like a criminal. We hope Federal, State and County officials investigate. Latina Barbie? Great nickname.
Socialism?!? It’s racism! Please send your social security check, Medicare cards, and tell your public school teachers to screw themselves and good luck fishing in Biscayne Bay; oye, Cubanos you’re voting against your own interest. Still being told how to think & how to vote like a dog!
Ladra,
I really do believe you are missing the point. Democratic Party is no longer a trusted party amongst the people. No doubt that any inkling of a socialist thought will have people running to vote Republican. The extremist left and the SQUAD in Congress have Democrats bleeding RED.