Carlos Gimenez defeated Omar Blanco to win the Republican nomination in Florida’s 26th Congressional District in a primary on August 18. As of 8:45 p.m. on election night, Gimenez had 60% of the vote to Blanco’s 40%.
Gimenez, who has served as mayor of Miami-Dade County since 2011, says he reduced tax rates and cut spending while increasing the speed of county services. He said he would be the stronger challenger to Mucarsel-Powell.
Blanco, the president of Miami-Dade Firefighters and Paramedics Local 1403, said he had experience with seeking policy change in Washington. He also accused Gimenez of having mismanaged the county’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying his policies had been harmful to local businesses.
Gimenez will face incumbent Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) in the general election. One election forecaster says the race is a toss-up, one says it tilts towards Mucarsel-Powell, and one says it leans towards Mucarsel-Powell.