Miami-Dade mayor’s coronavirus response an ‘absolute failure,’ congresswoman says
Likely facing a powerful, well-known Republican challenger in the fall, Miami U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell isn’t waiting for the general election to attack Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
The freshman Democrat blasted the mayor’s “absolute failure to keep Miami-Dade residents safe from coronavirus” during a Wednesday press conference, and accused him of mimicking President Donald Trump while making crucial public health decisions in the epicenter of Florida’s outbreak.
Her comments came just hours after Mucarsel-Powell mentioned Tuesday night to supporters that handicappers had downgraded her chances of winning reelection after Gimenez announced his candidacy in January.
“My reelection is going to be one of the toughest reelections in the country,” Mucarsel-Powell said during a virtual campaign “kickoff,” explaining that Gimenez is well-known throughout her Westchester-to-Key West congressional district. “I don’t even want to say [his] name.”
A Gimenez campaign spokeswoman, Nikki Rapanos, dismissed Mucarsel-Powell’s attacks.
“This is just another one of Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s political stunts to distract from her record of getting zero results for the people of Miami-Dade,” Rapanos said.
Mucarsel-Powell’s sudden focus on Gimenez — including a statement she promoted Monday in a press release that the mayor should be “ashamed” of his subdued reaction to Trump’s sudden willingness to meet with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro — reflects a change in tone in what is likely to be one of the country’s most competitive congressional races.
Limited interactions so far
Until now, Gimenez and Mucarsel-Powell have jabbed sparingly at each other, choosing mostly to focus primarily on their jobs during a time of crisis. Gimenez, who has Trump’s endorsement, continues to run as the heavy favorite in a Republican primary race against Miami-Dade Firefighter Lt. Omar Blanco, who is suing the state in an attempt to throw Gimenez off the ballot.
Gimenez will have to run something of an uphill race should he emerge from the primary as Mucarsel-Powell’s opponent in a district that Trump lost to Hillary Clinton by 16 points during the 2016 election. But Miami-Dade voters tend to lean more Republican in down-ballot races, and Gimenez is well-known throughout Miami-Dade after two decades as a county commissioner, mayor and city manager in Miami, though he has never before run a partisan campaign.
Gimenez’s position as the powerful, top county administrator has also given him widespread exposure for weeks as he issues emergency orders relating to the coronavirus pandemic and responds to civil unrest over police brutality and criminal justice.
In late April, a Change Research poll commissioned by Democratic consultant Christian Ulvert found that voters widely supported Gimenez’s handling of the coronavirus, and that 37% of voters have a favorable view of Gimenez, compared to 30% with an unfavorable view. A subsequent poll by the same firm in late May, taken as Gimenez allowed businesses and recreational spaces to reopen, found those numbers mostly unchanged at 37% favorable and 32% unfavorable.
Trading shots
Mucarsel-Powell, meanwhile, was among the lawmakers who voted in March to pass the roughly $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus CARES Act, and spoke Wednesday about her efforts to expand free testing and pass legislation dedicating billions to the development of a vaccine.
She said Wednesday that her criticism of Gimenez isn’t related to polls or any sign that Gimenez is gaining on her. Rather, with coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rising again in Miami-Dade County, she accused Gimenez of pushing early in the pandemic against closing down major events, and of consistently downplaying the threat of the virus.
“Gimenez has never taken this virus seriously,” she said.
Gimenez’s campaign shot back that Mucarsel-Powell has used the virus for political gain, arguing that she spent March making political endorsements and broke safety guidelines last month when, after hearing from concerned families, she visited a Florida Keys nursing home that according to the state failed to report seven deaths possibly related to the coronavirus. They also noted that the publicly traded parent company of Pollo Tropical, which employs her husband, returned $15 million in coronavirus assistance after critics pointed out the money was intended to go to small businesses.
“While Debbie performs in front of the cameras, Mayor Gimenez will continue to focus on serving the people of Miami-Dade County and putting their interests and safety first,” said Rapanos.
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 2:57 PM.
