Ileana Garcia | |
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district | |
| Assumed office November 17, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Jose Javier Rodriguez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ileana Ydolia Garcia Miami,Florida,U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
Ileana Ydolia Garcia is a Republican politician from Florida,who serves as a member of the Florida Senate.
The daughter of Cuban exiles,Garcia grew up in Florida. Her career was in media,working in both television and radio. [1]
She served as the first Hispanic female Deputy Press Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump. Garcia founded the group Latinas for Trump and in 2016 was the Trump campaign's communications Director for Latino outreach. [2] [3]
In March 2022 during debate for the Parental Rights in Education bill in the Florida Senate,Ileana Garcia claimed that "gay is not a permanent thing,LGBT is not a permanent thing." [4]
In January 2024,Garcia proposed a bill that would require Florida taxpayers to provide up to $5 million to Donald Trump in response to the former president's legal fees. Garcia later stated that she would withdraw the bill after Florida governor Ron DeSantis expressed opposition and threatened to veto the bill. [5]
In June 2020,Garcia filed to run against incumbent Democrat JoséJavier Rodríguez in Florida's 37th State Senate District. [2] On the first count,Garcia beat Rodríguez by a narrow margin of 31 votes;the lead increased to 34 after a recount. [6] [7]
Garcia's election then came under immediate scrutiny by local news outlets for the candidacy of independent candidate Alex Rodríguez,who shares the same last name as JoséJavier Rodríguez and is an acquaintance of former Republican State Senator Frank Artiles. Alex Rodríguez did not campaign but received 6,382 votes [8] from voters who may have been confused about who they were voting for. It was widely acknowledged that his candidacy was decisive in the outcome of the election. [9]
On March 17,2021,Artiles was accused of having paid $44,708.03 to Alex Rodríguez before and after the election in order for him to run as a false candidate in order to siphon off votes from candidate JoséJavier Rodríguez. [10] His house at Palmetto Bay was searched,and he surrendered the next day to the Miami-Dade County Jail.
Alejandro Díaz de la Portilla is a political consultant and former politician from Florida. A Republican,Díaz de la Portilla was a City of Miami Commissioner for District 1 and a member of the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2010,representing parts of Miami-Dade County. He also served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 until his election to the Senate.
Carlos Antonio Giménez is a Cuban-born American politician and retired firefighter serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 28th congressional district. He was redistricted from Florida's 26th congressional district. A Republican,he served as mayor of Miami-Dade County from 2011 to 2020. He served as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner from 2003 to 2011,and was the fire chief of the City of Miami Fire Department.
Jimmy Theo Patronis Jr. is an American politician serving as the chief financial officer of the state of Florida. He was previously a member of the Florida House of Representatives representing the 6th district,which includes Panama City and other parts of southern Bay County,from 2006 to 2014.
Annette Joanne Taddeo-Goldstein is a Colombian-American politician and businesswoman who served as a member of the Florida Senate from the 40th district from 2017 to 2022. She was an unsuccessful candidate for several elections starting in 2008 and was Charlie Crist's running mate in the 2014 Florida gubernatorial election. She was formerly a Democratic candidate in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election,but withdrew to run for Congress in Florida's 27th congressional district to challenge incumbent María Elvira Salazar. She was once again defeated.
Miguel Díaz de la Portilla is a Cuban-American attorney and politician from Florida. A Republican,he served in the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2016,representing parts of Miami,Coral Gables,and the surrounding area. Prior to that,he was a member of the Miami-Dade County Commission from 1993 to 2000.
Jeanette Marie Nuñez is an American businesswoman and politician serving since 2019 as the 20th lieutenant governor of Florida. A member of the Republican Party,she represented Miami-Dade County in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018,also serving as speaker pro tempore for her final two years in the office. Nuñez is the first Latina to serve as Florida lieutenant governor.
Ana Rivas Logan is a politician from the state of Florida. She served one term in the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of Miami-Dade County as a Republican. After decennial redistricting drew her into the same Kendall-based district as fellow Representative JoséFélix Díaz,Rivas Logan lost the 2012 primary election to Díaz. Before serving in the Florida House,Rivas Logan was a member of the Miami-Dade County School Board from 2004 to 2010. She represented the 7th district.
Frank Artiles is a Cuban-American Republican politician from Florida. He served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of Miami-Dade County from 2010 to 2016,before being elected to the Florida Senate in 2016. He resigned from the Senate on April 21,2017,after using racial slurs and other profanities against fellow senators.
JoséJavier Rodríguez is an American politician and attorney from Florida. A Democrat,he served one term in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2020,representing Coral Gables,Palmetto Bay,Pinecrest,Key Biscayne,and downtown Miami in Miami-Dade County. He previously served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 112th district in Miami-Dade County from 2012 until his election to the Senate.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Florida was held November 8,2016 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Florida,concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primary elections for both the Republicans and Democrats took place on August 30,2016.
The 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Florida,alongside an election to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Republican governor Rick Scott was term-limited and could not run for a third term,and he successfully ran for Florida's Class I Senate seat.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 6,2018,alongside a gubernatorial election,elections to the U.S. House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson ran for re-election to a fourth term,but was narrowly defeated by Republican Governor Rick Scott. The election was the closest Senate race in the state's history.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on Tuesday,November 6,2018,to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the state of Florida,one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices,including a gubernatorial election,other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate,and various state and local elections. The party primaries were held on August 28,2018.
María Elvira Salazar is an American journalist,author,and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 27th congressional district. She is a Republican assistant whip. Before entering politics,Salazar worked for the Spanish-language network Telemundo for three decades after serving as a news anchor for Miami-based WSBS TV. She has also worked for CNN Español and Univision.
Francis Xavier Suarez is an American lawyer and politician who is the 43rd and current mayor of Miami since November 2017. The son of former Miami mayor Xavier Suarez,he previously served on the Miami City Commission from 2009 to 2017.
Javier Fernandez is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2018 to 2020,representing parts of Miami-Dade County around Coral Gables,West Miami,South Miami,Pinecrest,and Cutler Bay. Fernandez was first elected in a May 2018 special election to replace former representative Daisy Baez. Fernandez defeated Republican Andrew Vargas,50.9 to 46.6%. Running for his first full term in November 2018,Fernandez beat Republican Javier Enriquez,53 to 47%).
Joe Gruters was the Chairman of the Florida Republican Party from 2018 to 2022,and is a member of the Florida Senate representing the 22nd District,which consists of Sarasota County and part of Charlotte County. He was previously a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Earlier in his career,Gruters worked on the campaign of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan as campaign manager and was vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota.
Anthony Rodriguez is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives representing the 118th District,which includes part of Miami-Dade County,since 2018.
The 2020 elections for the Florida Senate took place on Tuesday,November 3,2020,to elect state senators from 20 of 40 districts. The Republican Party has held a Senate majority since 1995. The result was a one-seat gain for the Republicans,thus maintaining their majority.
The 2020 Miami-Dade County mayoral election was held on November 3,2020,to determine the mayor of Miami-Dade County,Florida. County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava defeated fellow commissioner Esteban Bovo. Incumbent Mayor Carlos A. Giménez,first elected in 2011,was term-limited;instead running for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Florida's 26th congressional district.
Current members of the Florida Senate | ||
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