Florida State Sen. José Javier Rodríguez says he will join a crowded field of Democrats looking to capture the U.S. House seat being vacated by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the Miami Herald reported.
Ros-Lehtinen had announced she is retiring — which has touched off a scramble among Democrats for the 2018 race. Politico called her an "icon in Miami" and noted she was the first Hispanic woman first and Cuban-American ever elected to Congress.
"It's a really important time to run," Rodríguez told the Herald "It's a time when we're trying to define what country we are, and the character of our democracy."
Democrats Scott Fuhrman, who had challenged Ros-Lehtinen in 2016; Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez; University of Miami academic adviser Michael Hepburn and Mark Anthony Person are already in the race.
On the Republican side, Maria Peiro, has already filed. Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro has said he is also running.
Rodríguez, 38, is a Harvard-educated Cuban-American lawyer, according to the newspaper.
"I'm excited," he said. "A lot of the issues I've worked on in Tallahassee are equally as relevant at the federal level"
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