Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, First Hispanic Woman Elected to Congress, To Retire

MIAMI, FL — Veteran Miami Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress said she is retiring at the end of her current term. Ros-Lehtinen was first elected in 1989. She represents the 27th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of Miami-Dade County, including parts of Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, South Miami and Westchester.

Ros-Lehtinen is also a national powerhouse in Congress, serving as Chairman emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. She has been a strong supporter of the state of Israel and human rights. She has also been a vocal opponent to the Castro regimes in Cuba.

In an interview with the The Miami Herald, Ros-Lehtinen said she felt it was time to move on after 35 years in elected office. The mother of a transgender son, Ros-Lehtinen considers herself a moderate and has had well publicized disagreements with the Trump administration.

“It's been such a delight and a high honor to serve our community for so many years and help constituents every day of the week,” the Republican told a Herald reporter by telephone on Sunday. “We just said, ‘It's time to take a new step.’”

Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez kicked off her congressional run in April with her first email to residents. She is running as a Democrat and acknowledged in a recent interview with Patch that she was a just a child when Ros-Lehtinen first entered politics.

Rosen Gonzalez, who plans to remain on the Miami Beach Commission during the campaign, cited the threat of climate change and transportation gridlock as key issues in her campaign.

"I'm running more than anything as a south Floridian who cares about important issues," Rosen Gonzelez said in the Patch interview. "I feel very strongly that my constituents in Miami Beach are going to support me."

Much like Ros-Lehtinen, Rosen Gonzalez also has a background in education. But the absence of Ros-Lehtinen from the 2018 race will likely be too tempting to pass up for other Miami area Democrats. As news of Ros-Lehtinen's retirement broke, pundits noted that Hillary Clinton won the congresswoman's district over President Donald Trump by 20 points, marking a strong opportunity for a Democratic pickup, and adding to the wave of threats Republicans are facing in traditionally safe seats.

Ros-Lethinen's colleagues praised the congresswoman for her public service and commitment to human rights.

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