At an event in Washington, D.C., on Monday, former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., announced he was backing Miami-Dade School Board member Carlos Curbelo, the Republican nominee running against U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., in November while the Democrats fired away.
West, a favorite of the tea party movement who has left the door open to a comeback in 2016, made the endorsement through his Allen West Guardian Fund PAC. Wading into one of the most competitive congressional races in the nation, on Monday West praised Curbelo’s ideals and noted his parents fled Cuba to escape the communist regime controlling that nation.
“Carlos embodies the American dream and American exceptionalism,” said West, “We need voices like Carlos’ to bring the message of true conservatism to the Hispanic community, in order to articulate that it is through sound fiscal and economic policies, rather than government dependency, that long-lasting advancement and prosperity can be achieved.”
But Democrats responded by attacking Curbelo and insisting West’s endorsement shows the Republican is too conservative for the South Florida congressional district. David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), pointed to a video released earlier this month in which Curbelo compared Medicare and Social Security to a Ponzi scheme during a speech at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
“After Carlos Curbelo was caught on camera calling Medicare and Social Security a ‘Ponzi scheme,’ it’s no surprise that tea party champion Allen West is backing his campaign,” Bergstein said on Monday. “This is just the latest example showing Curbelo puts his own political interests and the agenda of his tea party political allies like West over the values of South Florida families.”
The Curbelo camp responded to the Miami Herald on Monday, praising West for his service in the U.S. Army and turning the fire back on Garcia, noting he has faced numerous ethics problems, including his former chief of staff doing jail time for his role in a voter fraud scandal.
“Col. Allen West served our country with integrity and honor,” Wadi Gaitan, a spokesman for Curbelo, told the Miami Herald on Monday. “He understands that South Florida deserves better than Joe Garcia, a congressman surrounded by scandal and corruption and who referred to Republicans as the Taliban on the House floor.”
West’s PAC has endorsed 13 general election candidates so far for November but Curbelo is the first candidate from Florida to receive its support. On Monday, West promised he would back one more candidate in the middle of October.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
