We have a new entry on the list of hot races for 2008, with the entry of long-time Hialeah mayor Raul Martinez in Florida's 21st District, against incumbent Republican Lincoln Diaz-Balart:
Raul Martinez, the charismatic but controversial former Hialeah mayor, is returning to politics to challenge one of the most powerful Republicans in the Cuban-American community: U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart.
Martinez's expected announcement Tuesday in front of Hialeah City Hall pits two South Florida political titans -- both admired by large numbers of Cuban Americans.
The campaign almost certainly will be deeply acrimonious with charges of corruption, and challenges of who's tougher on Cuba. Martinez, 58, a Democrat, is the most serious challenger Republican Díaz-Balart, 53, has faced in his 15 years as U.S. congressman.
As James at Swing State Project notes, we can expect Diaz-Balart to paint Martinez as a pro-Castro agent aiming to end the embargo.
In fact, Martinez is opposed to ending the embargo, but does aim to reverse the Bush administration's 2004 travel restrictions, which prevent Cuban-Americans from traveling to Cuba to visit family (visits once a year had been permitted beforehand). Reversal of the restrictions on family visits, in fact, has a good bit of support in Miami's Cuban-American community.
Naturally, though, we can expect Diaz-Balart to blur the distinction as much as possible.
Martinez had initially intended to run for Congress in 1988 for the seat currently held by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, but a federal corruption charge forced him out of the race. Martinez was ultimately convicted, but his conviction was overturned and the case was ultimately dropped. Not surprisingly, there were alleged political motivations behind the charges:
Martinez, who was suspended from office within hours of the indictment, denied the charges and later claimed the case was politically motivated.
He said he was investigated and indicted to enable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to win the seat.
Martinez cited no specific evidence, but noted that the U.S. Attorney in Miami at the time, Dexter Lehtinen, was Ros-Lehtinen's husband.
...
In the past, Dexter Lehtinen has denied the allegation, but many Martinez supporters are convinced he manipulated the case to help his wife -- and the Republican Party -- claim Pepper's seat. Martinez dropped out of the race and Ros-Lehtinen became the first Cuban-American member of Congress in 1989.
Martinez states that he will focus on public works, health insurance, affordable housing and improving water quality in his community. He's been recruited by the DCCC for months to run for this seat, and is considered a sufficiently popular political figure in the Miami-Dade area to overcome his district's considerable Republican lean (PVI of R+6.2).
With the entry of Martinez in FL-21 and the rumored candidacy of Miami-Dade County party chairman Joe Garcia in the 25th District (against Diaz-Balart's brother Mario), it looks to be a fascinating year in South Florida.