Table of Contents

2. Joe Garcia (D)

3. Carlos Curbelo (R)
4. Demographics
5. Demographics (Continued)
6. Article 1
7. Article 2
8. Article 3
9.. Article 4
10. Article 5
11. Article 6
12.Article 7
13.Article 8
14. Article 9
15. Article 10
16. Article 11
17. Article 12
18. Conclusions
19. Bibliography

1!

Joe Garcia

Joe Garcia, a democrat, is the current incumbent in the 26th district of Florida. He was elected into office on
November 6, 2012. According to a 2012 Washington Post article, he is one of the most vulnerable candidates
in 2014. Congressman Joe Garcia was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2012. With the
help of scholarships and money he'd saved, Congressman Garcia put himself through Miami Dade College and
later the University of Miami where he completed his undergraduate studies. After graduating UM Law School,
Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed Congressman Garcia to the Florida Public Service Commission, the state agency
that regulates utilities. He helped usher in the largest energy rate cut in Floridas history, which lowered costs in
the 19990's. Congressman Garcia left the PSC in 2000 and was named Executive Director of the Cuban
American National Foundation where he became one of the countrys leading advocates for human rights in
Cuba and Latin America. In 2009, President Obama appointed Garcia to serve as a director in the Department of Energy where he again focused on lowering energy costs and greater access to renewable sources of
energy. Congressman Garcia has served on the board of the Spanish American League Against Discrimination
and Regis House, a drug addiction prevention center for inner-city youth in Miami. He is a board member and
past president of the Cuban American National Foundation. He also previously served as director of the New
Democratic Network Hispanic Strategy Center and chairman of the Democratic Party of Miami-Dade County.
Congressman Garcia and his family live in South Florida. He has one daughter, Gabriela, who is 15.

!2

Carlos Curbelo

Carlos Curbelo was

born in Miami on

March 1, 1980, to Carlos and Teresita Curbelo, Cuban exiles who fled Fidel Castros tyranny in the 1960s. He
attended John G. DuPuis Elementary in Hialeah before continuing to Miamis Belen Jesuit Preparatory School
where he served as Student Council President his senior year. Carlos subsequently enrolled in the University of
Miami where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration while majoring in Political Science.
He then earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration, also from the University of Miami. In 2002, Carlos founded Capitol Gains, a public and media relations firm that has done work for South Florida companies
as well as state, national, and international political campaigns. In 2009, he was named State Director for US
Senator George LeMieux and was responsible for overseeing staff in seven offices throughout the state and advising the Senator on Latin-American policy and Hispanic issues. In 2010, he was appointed by Floridas Governor to the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization, a federally mandated board charged with handling local transportation and infrastructure projects. Carlos is also the co-founder of Centre Court Charities, a
non-profit organization that runs basketball leagues for high school students during the summer. In November
of 2010, Carlos was elected to serve on the Miami Dade County School Board, the fourth largest school district
in the country. Marrying Cecilia Lowell in 2006, Carlos decided to settle his family in Kendall, Florida where
he has lived since 1995. The couples first child, Sylvie Marie, was born In October of 2009, and their second
Carolina, in May of 2012.

!3

Demographics

Florida's 26th Congressional District is a new district that was created as a result of the 2010 Census.
The new district includes portions of Monroe and Miami-Dade counties in the southern tip of Florida, including the Florida Keys. This area of the state is mostly rural. Half of its total area is occupied
by Everglades National Park. The current representative of the 26th Congressional District is Joe
Garcia. (D)

!4

Demographics (Continued)
Current incumbent - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Joe Garcia Democratic Party
Population - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -728,285
Gender - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 49% Male, 51% Female
Race - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - -86.3% White, 9.8% Black, 1.4% Asian, 0.3% Native American
Ethnicity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 69.5% Hispanic
Unemployment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10.6%
Median household income - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -$48,899
High school graduation rate - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -79.8%
College graduation rate - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -26.2%
Employed - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -39,389
Unemployed - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -37,460 (9.9%)
Armed Forces - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - - 1,579
Management, business, science, and arts occupations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -110,423
Service occupations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 67,659
Sales and office occupations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 99,440
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 34,258
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27,609
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3,927
Construction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24,119
Manufacturing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13,599
Wholesale trade - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12,509
Retail trade - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -45,133
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -25,661
Information - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -7,269
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -25,659
Scientific, administrative and waste management services - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 43,186
Educational services, and health care and social assistance - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 68,095
Arts, entertainment, recreation, and food services - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 35,873
Other services, except public administration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21,445
Public administration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -12,914

!5

Week 1: October 10 - October 17

Article 1
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/cd-26-ugly-fight-between-joe-garcia-and-carlos-curbelowin-growing-independent-vote

This article discusses the various tactics that candidates, who are running a close race, are
taking to win over the independent voters, as well as the nasty tone the election has taken on
that's garnered national attention. Curbelo has focused his attention on highlighting Garcia's
association with President Obama, along with his more scandalous and embarrassing moments in office, which include the congressman saying that "communism works" in a google
hangout, and the infamous video of him picking his nose and subsequently eating what he
found on video. Garcia on the other hand, is hoping to sway voters away from Curbelo by
highlighting his lobbyist past.

!6

Article 2
http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2014/10/10/pro-gay-marriage-gop-group-enters-florida-congressional-race/

This article discusses the entrance of a powerful, pro gay rights PAC, American Unity
Committee, who has been putting out ads attacking incumbent Joe Garcia calling him "A
scandal prone Washington hypocrite." The super PAC has a history of supporting pro gay
rights republicans such as republican challenger Carlos Curbelo who, as quoted in the article, says that "government should not discriminate on the issue of marriage and if people
want to marry they should be allowed to marry no questions asked.

!7

Article 3
http://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/2014/10/14/debate-between-miami-congressional-candidates-centers-on-ethics-a-567607.html#.VFbyB3-9KK0

This article highlights the details of an October 15 debate that was conducted in Spanish. In
the beginning, democratic incumbent Joe Garcia, and republican challenger Carlos Curbelo
spoke on issues regarding the minimum wage, the affordable care act, and Cuba. However,
as the debate progressed, the talks became more personal. As the article mentions, it became
a "tit for-tat over character and integrity." Each candidate took turns trying to shed light on
the other's past mistakes. Bringing out proverbial skeletons from the closet left and right.
Curbelo especially took special effort to grill Garcia on his election fraud scandal involving a
former staffer. Garcia, as usual, reminded all present that mistakes were made and it it's "all
in the past."

!8

Week 2: October 17 - October 24

Article 4

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article3003469.html

This article compares the scandal of this race to the scandal that plagued former incumbent,
David Rivera, to Joe Garcia, who is currently seeking re-election. Garcia attacked Rivera
when he first ran in 2012 for the corruption he was involved in. By taking exploiting Riveras
controversies, he was able to oust him from office, and take over the seat. Now, Garcia is trying to defend his seat from challenger Carlos Curbelo by assailing him with accusations of
corruption as he did two years ago with Rivera. This strategy has been called hypocritical, as
Joe Garcia is now dealing with corruption accusations of his own dealing with a former
staffer.

!9

Article 5
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/10/23/in-florida-us-rep-joe-garcia-fights-for-re-election-amid-allegations-corruption/

This Fox News article focuses on incumbent Joe Garcia, who is fighting for re election amid
scandal involving a former chief of staff who filled out multiple absentee ballots. The irony
here is that Garcia originally came into office by beating out David Riviera who was also embroiled in a similar controversy. Carlos Curbelo also faces ethics questions himself. He runs
a public relations firm, and because it is under his wife's name, he is not legally required to
release his client lost. Curbelo calls Garcia's claim that he is hiding information hypocritical,
since Curbelo has accused Garcia of hiding information from the public. He counters the
claim (somewhat avoiding the topic) by citing his prolific years as a school board member in
which he never laid off a teacher.

1! 0

Article 6

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article3213914.html

This article discusses a Spanish language debate that heavily focused on the subject of minimum wage, a major issue for Hispanic voters. A week before, Curbelo said that he supported a natural rise in the minimum wage, as opposed to a government instituted raise. In this
debate however, he says that he would supported a government mandated raise, but not to
$10.10 as his opponent, Joe Garcia wants. Both candidates backed immigration reform, and
same sex marriage. Curbelo also used the debate to address the topic of abortion. Each
abortion is a tragedy, he said. After the debate, Curbelo clarified his statement saying that
he only supports abortion in the case of rape, incest, or in order to protect a womans health.

1! 1

Week 3 - October 24 - October 31:

Article 7
http://www.latinpost.com/articles/24854/20141031/florida-election-carlos-curbelo-vs-joe-garciarace-26th-district.htm

This article talks about the Cuban connection with the election. Both candidates are Cuban
American, and various tactics have been taken by the candidates to win over the support of
the Cuban minority. The article claims that if the entire district were Cuban, it would be an
easy republican win. Yet, because of the growing non Cuban population, Joe Garcia still has
a chance. As has happened at other points in the campaign, Curbelo attacks Garcias television ad, which utilizes a cuban dissident who pledges support for Garcia, saying "We should
be talking about government reforms that will lead to economic prosperity for South Florida
families. Instead we are focused on Garcia's irresponsible and unethical use of a Cuban dissident in a desperate television ad."

1! 2

Article 8

http://www.keysnet.com/2014/11/01/499521/in-congressional-district-26-garcias.html?sp=/
99/116/

This article serves to provide a breakdown of who the best choice would be come election
day. On the surface, Curbelo and Garcia seem similar. Both candidates support same-sex
marriage and immigration reform, smart positions considering the district's composition.
Aside from those issues, they dont tend to agree on much else. In fact, they dont seem to
like each other at all. The article points out the fact that both candidates have unsightly
blemishes on their public service records, and says that neither candidate is perfect. However, in the end, the author decides to pledge support to incumbent Joe Garcia. This conclusion is based on his service for the middle class, farmers in south florida and the keys, and
work for constituents.

!13

Article 9
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2014/10/31/3234114/in-races-for-us-house-florida.html

The article discusses the high costs of Florida's elections. South Florida has one of the most
expensive races in the country, ranking in the top 25 nationally and also one of the cheapest: the 24th district, which ranks among the cheapest dozen in the nation.
The race for Florida's 26th district, as the article points out, has been particularly expensive.
Candidates Curbelo and Garcia have a combined campaign cost above 14 million dollars,
and over five million dollars came out of pocket. The large amound of spending could be
due to the fact that it is a challenge to un seat an incumbent. Its very difficult no matter
how unpopular Congress is to beat an incumbent, said Meredith McGehee, policy director
of the Campaign Legal Center in Washington. The re-election rates top 90 percent even
when Congress has an approval rate in the low teens.

1! 4

Week 4 - October 31 - November 7:

Article 10
http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/11/republican-carlos-curbelos-now-slightly-favored-over-democrat-joegarcia-fl26/

This article discusses Cuban American relations angle of election, as well as new information
that shows Curbelo has a lead over incumbent Garcia. This being a change from last weeks
poll which showed the election to be a toss up. However, the lead is only a slight one, and it
wouldn't be impossible for it to shift back to Garcia. The article also sheds light on a recent
campaign ad put together by Garcia that shows a Cuban resident pledging support for his
campaign in an attempt to appeal to Cubans living in south Florida. Curbelo, however,
doubts that the man even knew he was participating in a campaign ad.

1! 5

Article 11

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/11/carlos-curbelo-blames-glitch-for-omitting-93kfrom-campaign-finance-report.html

This article addresses a report that close to $93K was missing from a report of campaign
funds Carlos Curbelo submitted to the FEC. Curbelo responded saying the contributions
that were missing were simply mislabeled. He blamed the oversight on a "software glitch,"
citing a move by the campaign to a different type of software. Among the mislabeled contributions were $5,000 from KochPAC, a group run run billionaire industrialist brothers
Charles and David Koch. Democratic incumbent Rep. Joe Garcia seized the opportunity saying that the donations from the Kochs is evidence that support from big-moneyed right-wing
groups could leave Curbelo beholden to donors if he were elected Tuesday. Garcia himself
has also received contributions from PACs and labor unions, but has benefited less from
these groups than Curbelo has.

1! 6

Article 12

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/11/patriciamazzei.html

This article details events that occurred at a recent rally held by Joe Garcia, at which vice
president Joe Biden pledged his support to the campaign. He spoke at length on the importance of the Latin community's vote saying "This is your election." In addition, he encouraged a higher voter turn out. He specifically targeted the large number of latinos in attendance and essentially told them that if they voted in proportion to the size of their population, they could change the course of the nation., and could help the democrats to overcome
the republicans in a difficult election.

!17

Conclusion

Curbelo, a Miami-Dade County School Board member, led from the moment the first election
results were posted through the end. He won the 26th congressional district, which spans Westchester
to Key West, with 52 percent of the vote to Garcias 48 percent. Garcia, who won a majority of the
vote in the Florida Keys, conceded with about a fifth of Miami-Dade results still pending. In a press
conference in front of supporters, Garcia described the conversation saying I just talked to Carlos
Curbelo, and I congratulated him on his victory. It does not appear were going to make up ground.
This year was not a good year for Democrats. Garcias term was clouded by the conviction of his
former chief of staff, who served 65 days in jail for orchestrating an unlawful online absentee-ballot
request scheme in the 2012 election. In addition, the congressmans 2010 campaign is under federal
criminal investigation over a suspected straw candidate. Still, Garcia said Tuesday he was proud of his
tenure, saying There is nothing that I didnt get to do while I was serving in Congress, except be in
the majority. I wish we could have had a different outcome. But thats the only thing Id change.
There is nothing to regret with a job well done. He blamed his loss on savage outside spending in
the race by conservative political groups. Of the more than $14 million spent, nearly $9 million came
from outside the two candidates campaigns more than $5.5 million of that against Garcia, according to the Sunlight Foundation, which tracks political spending. With Garcias loss, Republicans
picked up a seat they had lost two years ago, and helped to ensure a Republican controlled house
and senate.

1! 8

Bibliography
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article3569095.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article3569095.html#storylink=c
http://www.census.gov/mycd/application/index.html#sthash.tuXjsSYP.dpuf
http://www.census.gov/fastfacts/
http://garcia.house.gov/about/our-district
http://ballotpedia.org/Florida's_26th_Congressional_District_elections,_2014
http://www.latinpost.com/articles/24854/20141031/florida-election-carlos-curbelo-vs-joe-garciarace-26th-district.htm

1! 9