WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR CONGRESS?
QUESTION: Why are you running for Congress and why should voters trust you to represent them in Washington instead of your opponents?
Te Mayonna Brown: “I’m running for Congress because I believe the people of District 24 deserve a representative who puts people ahead of politics and solutions ahead of excuses. I am not a career politician. I’m a businesswoman, a real estate developer, a community builder, a job creator, an entrepreneur, and a former educator, but most of all I am an American citizen who understands the everyday struggle. Throughout my career, I’ve created opportunities by helping families become homeowners, revitalized communities, created jobs, and founded companies to expand economic opportunities. I’m running because I’ve watched too many families struggle with the rising cost of living, housing that has become unaffordable, small businesses being hurt by inflation and red tape and a Congress that spends more time arguing than solving problems. Congress has not provided any long-term solutions for our TPS holders or provided a long-term solution for our healthcare system. We all deserve better. You should trust me because my record has been about action. I don’t just talk about building strong communities. I have done it and am still doing it. I don’t just talk about creating opportunities. I have put action behind my words by opening doors for others to do business and provided community leadership.If elected, I’ll fight to lower the cost of living, expand homeownership, strengthen our economy, expand childcare, support our seniors, veterans, law enforcement, and small businesses. I’ll fight to improve infrastructure and make government more accountable to the people. Leadership isn’t about making promises every election cycle; leadership is about showing up, telling the truth, bringing people together, and delivering real resources and results. If elected I’ll fight to lower the cost of living, expand homeownership, expand childcare strengthen our community by creating opportunities for business owners bringing capital back to the district making sure we improve infrastructure stop the flooding build storm ready homes going next to net with Insurance support, supporting and protecting our seniors, our veterans, law-enforcement and small businesses I will make government more accountable to the people it serves. I’m asking for your vote because I’ll bring real-world, lived experience and understanding of what it will take to bring affordability back to our district. I want to make sure that leadership isn’t just about talking and showing up for photo opps, but it’s about delivering results. I will commit to an unwavering commitment to the people of the 24th district. Together, we can build a stronger, safer and more effective future for every family in our community.”
Marshall Davis: “Redistricting has been a key focus and reason why I entered the race. While unfortunate due to gerrymandering, the new boundaries have shaped District 24 into one of the most multicultural and art-centric districts arguably in the country, aligning closely with my four decades of cultural work in the South Florida community. Since Governor DeSantis approved the new map in early May, several online sources have not yet updated the maps and boundaries. This includes, as of our last check, Congress.gov. Because the information is outdated, thousands of constituents remain unaware that they reside in the new district and are eligible to vote in the upcoming primary on August 18, 2026. The unintended consequence of the attempt to disenfranchise thousands of voters has brought together a uniquely diverse community. The district includes underserved areas like parts of Overtown, Little Haiti and Liberty City, but now also includes areas as far north as Hollywood and parts of Dania. I’ve walked these neighborhoods and only one person mentioned being aware their district changed. Morningside and the Design District, where real estate values rival Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive, along with Wynwood—internationally known as an art destination where billion-dollar companies have or are seeking corporate headquarters—are all now a part of the redrawn District 24. The new district is my why. I believe I have the universal appeal and proven diplomatic success to secure funding in an honorable way reaching across the aisle to deliver the infrastructure solutions and responsible development District 24 desperately needs. While not a career politician, I’ve successfully navigated governmental landscapes and administrations. Over the years, I’ve been repeatedly encouraged to seek a role in politics, but shied away due to the negative stigma that disenchanted so many Americans. Politics should be the art of using your influence for the greater good. What people dislike about politics are what I call poli-tricks…backroom deals for personal gain, not honoring your word, and being beholden to special interest groups; forsaking the very people who voted you into office. I was encouraged to run for District 24 by being reminded that sometimes you have to be the leader you want to see. We see time and again where a few get the most, and the most get nothing. This is undoubtedly a congested race, however I entered not to run against anyone, but to run for the people. At the beginning of the year I announced my retirement because I wanted to expand my proven strategic solutions in arts education which can be likened to a college preparatory program across the nation. These efforts ironically included a plan to go before Congress. So when the seat became available in the newly drawn district, pulling together diverse areas rich in culture and the arts, I knew I could not forsake this moment. I have over forty years experience in working across the aisle, creating pipelines to success, championing the community, celebrating culture, building infrastructure, and solving problems. No other candidate has holistically proven success that can translate to the entire district.”
Oliver Gilbert: “I’m running because I’ve actually governed. I’ve done the work. And this district and this moment need a representative who can deliver, not just talk. That’s why Congresswoman Frederica Wilson endorsed me. She’s seen the results. I’ve been a public servant in this community since 2008: a Miami Gardens councilman, then Mayor of Miami Gardens, and now the Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 1 and former Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, where I led the largest county in Florida through three full budget cycles. I’ve balanced budgets and met payroll for thousands of public workers. I’ve replaced failing septic tanks for families at no cost. I’ve secured more than $20 million for a performing arts center and invested in young people and small businesses across this district. Miami Gardens became an All-America City on my watch, something that people told me to my face couldn’t be done. Why trust me? Because trust is measured in results, and my results live in the neighborhoods of this district where people can see them and touch them. Not promises. Delivery. I’ve done the work through budgets, storms, a pandemic, and relentless attacks from Tallahassee on the people I serve, and I’ve done it the way I’ll legislate: showing up, being accountable, and putting people first. I’m running to stop the damage coming out of Washington — to protect healthcare, Social Security, and housing for working families — and to build the next America for everyone. I’m not running against anyone. I’m running toward something: a country where your zip code and your last name don’t decide whether you get a fair shot.”
Shevrin Jones: “I am running for Congress because South Floridians are paying more and getting less, for housing, groceries, insurance, and childcare, and this district deserves a representative who has actually delivered relief, not just talked about it. Voters should not take my word for it. Take the record. For fourteen years, in the Florida House and the Florida Senate, always in the minority, I have turned this community’s ideas into law: dignity for incarcerated women, statewide body-camera standards, protections for students with disabilities, sickle cell care that believes Black patients’ pain, water-billing fairness for Miami Gardens families, and more than fifty-seven million dollars brought home for local priorities. I put that record up against anyone in this race. This seat carries a legacy, and I know the path that built it. Carrie Meek served in the Florida House and the Florida Senate before this community sent her to Washington. Kendrick Meek walked that same road, the Florida House, then the Florida Senate, then Congress. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson did too. That path is not a coincidence. It is where you learn to write a law, move a budget, build coalitions across the aisle, and answer directly to the people you grew up with, before you ever cast a vote in Washington. It prepared each of them to serve this community with distinction, and after fourteen years walking it myself, it has prepared me. So I am asking voters to trust me the way this community has trusted me for fourteen years because I show up, I do the work, and I bring results home. I have spent my career passing legislation in a chamber where my party is outnumbered, and I know how to fight for my values and still find the votes to deliver. That is exactly what District 24 needs right now, and that is exactly what I will do.”
Kendrick Meek Jr.: “I am running for Congress because South Florida families are doing everything right, yet they are still falling behind. We live in one of the most vibrant, hard-working regions in the world, but our people are being crushed by a skyrocketing cost of living, an out-of-control housing market, and an infrastructure system that is failing them. I am not running to build a political career; I am running because I have the legal background, the federal policy experience, and the deep local roots needed to step into this job on Day One and deliver tangible resources to our neighborhoods. Voters can trust me to represent them in Washington because I bring a unique combination of federal legislative readiness and deep community accountability. I don’t need a learning curve to understand how a congressional committee works, how to draft a bill, or how to secure a federal appropriation. My career has been defined by using the law to protect people, expand access, and hold powerful systems accountable. Unlike opponents who may be beholden to special interests or disconnected from the daily struggles of this district, my focus is entirely on the families of District 24. Commissioner Gilbert and Senator Jones have been running for, or in, office for a combined 37 years. The time for career politicians that haven’t delivered for our community is over. We need a new, bold generation of leadership now to meet this moment. I am a product of this community, my values were shaped by this community, and my only priority in Washington will be fighting for the dignity, affordability, and prosperity that every resident of South Florida deserves.”
Jean Monestime: “Voters should look into my story and also my record on the County Commission. With that, they’ll realize that I am the most qualified to represent them.”
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