Frederica Wilson gets primary challenge from former Miami-Dade chair Audrey Edmonson

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, faces a primary challenge this year from a well-known Miami politician in Florida’s heavily Democratic 24th District after former Miami-Dade County commissioner Audrey Edmonson joined the race Tuesday.

“The fact of the matter is, our District 24 congresswoman has failed her constituents, the needs of the district, and of our state,” she said of the 79-year-old congresswoman who was a frequent ally during Edmonson’s tenure as a county commissioner representing part of Wilson’s district. “I take no pleasure in challenging her, as we agree on most issues.”

Edmonson, 69, made the announcement at the one-story home of El Portal’s village government, where she launched her political career in the 1990s as mayor and went on to serve 14 years on the county commission before a term-limit law forced her to leave in 2020. She served her last two years on the Miami-Dade board in the powerful chair’s post, presiding over the commission as the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Her remarks hinted at a personal fight to follow, portraying Wilson as a no-show congressional member who leads the House in exercising the pandemic-era option to vote by proxy instead of appearing in the chambers personally. A tally by the pro-Republican Ripon Society lists Wilson as the top user of proxy votes in 2021, exercising that option 438 times last year.

Edmonson also took a dig at Wilson’s fashion signature of wearing brightly colored cowboy hats. Wilson challenged a House rule barring hats in the chambers, and Edmonson said she wouldn’t use her time in Congress to change the rules for “my own self-interest and certainly not related to my own style of clothing.”

In a single-sentence statement to the Herald, Wilson reacted to Tuesday’s announcement: “Welcome to the race, Audrey Edmonson.”

Wilson a well-established incumbent

In announcing her congressional run, Edmonson is challenging one of South Florida’s most recognizable and prominent members of Congress.

Now in her sixth term, Wilson serves as chair of subcommittees on labor and education, hosts large community events for the 5000 Role Models youth program she founded, and her colorful cowboy hats give her one of the few fashion trademarks on Capitol Hill.

Federal filings show Wilson ended 2021 with about $495,000 in her campaign fund.

Wilson has an existing Democratic challenger, Christine Olivo, who lists a Hollywood address in campaign filings. On her campaign website, Olivo said she expected to be drawn out of Wilson’s district once Florida’s redistricting process is completed. The website said Olivo plans to refile for another district once the final map is approved. (Federal law requires that a member of Congress live in the state they represent, but they don’t have to live in the district.)

Though an organizer of the announcement said Monday to expect endorsements at the event, Edmonson was joined only by family and a pastor. None of them spoke. No Democratic commission members, past or present, attended the event.

Support for Wilson

Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Miami Gardens Democrat, has been mentioned as a possible successor to Wilson if she were to retire. He said that while he didn’t oppose Edmonson’s desire to run or her qualifications, he said he’s still “a huge supporter” of Wilson. Jones, 38, also said Wilson was his principal when he was in elementary school.

“She is very vigilant in this moment, and we need her leadership in this time,” said Jones, praising her recent work with the Biden administration to bring federal dollars into the district.

Jorge Luis Castillo, who worked on Edmonson’s runs for the nonpartisan county commission, said he has signed on for the congressional campaign and handled logistics for Tuesday’s event. His firm, Green Point Group, also worked for Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, who in 2020 unseated Democrat Donna Shalala in the 27th Congressional District.

By launching a primary challenge in 2022, Edmonson joins the campaign without the media exposure and fundraising options available to her in 2020 as the sitting chair of the Miami-Dade commission. But she would have a head start in campaigning should Wilson opt to change course and make this her last term.

District 24 stretches from the Miami area to Hollywood. About 60% of the voters are registered Democrats and 47% of residents are Black, according to state and federal statistics. About 42% of residents identify as Hispanic, according to a Census report. With Republicans accounting for only 12% of registered voters in the district, the Democratic primary is likely the toughest election Florida 24th candidates would face in 2022.

This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 12:51 PM.