Miami Beach Commissioner Kicks Off Congressional Run

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez kicked off a congressional run Tuesday with her first email to residents. She is running as a Democrat for the seat held by longtime incumbent Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Rosen Gonzalez told Patch she plans to remain on the Miami Beach Commission during the campaign.

"I'm running more than anything as a south Floridian who cares about important issues," Rosen Gonzelez said in an interview on Tuesday. "I feel very strongly that my constituents in Miami Beach are going to support me."(Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

While the election is not until November of 2018, Rosen Gonzalez said she wanted to have enough time to build up awareness of her campaign as she takes on Ros-Lehtinen for the 27th Congressional District seat the congresswoman has held since 1989.

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She is planning her first campaign event in June. The district includes parts of Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, South Miami and Westchester.

Ros-Lehtinen and Rosen Gonzelez both share similar backgrounds as teachers before entering public life.

But there are also important differences, according to Rosen Gonzalez, who points to transportation and environmental issues as reasons for her run.

"We’re all stuck in gridlock all day long," Rosen Gonzalez explained. "Her party is the party of burning fossil fuels. It’s the party of climate change denial."

Rosen Gonzalez said she is concerned that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will face funding cuts under the Trump administration as important federal programs are diluted. "We don’t have four years to gain a majority in Congress," she explained.

She was first elected to the Miami Beach Commission in November of 2015 and often finds herself at odds with the city's other elected officials. She said she won her seat by donning a backpack and walking the city.

She said that she won her seat with 59 percent of the vote in a runoff but only 10 percent of her opponent’s resources.

"I want to be a Democrat who appeals to everyone, a sensible rationale approach to real world problems," Rosen Gonzalez added, saying she is hoping to attract a number of smaller donations from working people who live in the communities she hopes to serve.

"I’m ramping up for what’s going to be a very long and hard race," she said. "I’m a single mother. I’m a teacher. I work two jobs. I have to pay bills every month. I’m in touch with the community."