Citing lack of resources, Miami Beach Rep. Grieco drops out of state Senate race
Grieco, a Democratic state representative from Miami Beach, announced Wednesday he was dropping his bid for Senate District 36, pointing to a lack of investment that leaves his run against the Republican incumbent without “a path to victory.”
“Our campaign’s predicted lack of necessary resources is not from the absence of local community support,” Grieco said in a thread of tweets, “but from the lack of a backbone by the Tallahassee establishment that talks a good game but fails to walk the walk when dedicated public servants choose to stick their necks out for their community.”
It now leaves Sen. Ileana
Garcia running unopposed in the new district, which has been reshaped to include parts of liberal Miami Beach.
“It has been an honor to serve my 160,000+ constituents these last 4 years & I thank every one of them for entrusting me to do so,” Grieco said on Twitter.
Grieco, who has represented House District 113 since 2018, told the Miami Herald he made the decision to leave the race because it became clear that he would not get the institutional backing from Senate Victory, the fundraising arm of the state Senate Democrats. The “tea leaves,” he said, “presented themselves within the last 10 days.”
Specifically, he cited an ongoing divestment from national donors who have historically supported FlorMichael ida Democrats and the primary challenge drawn by Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book from former Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief, all during a redistricting year when all state lawmakers are running for reelection in newly drawn districts.
To win, he said his campaign needed about $5 million to be competitive against Garcia, former deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security under thenPresident Donald Trump.
“At least they were forthcoming that they just don’t have the resources,” Grieco said. “It’s not fair to any candidate to tell them that you’re going to be there for them and that that candidate is going to have everything they need, they’re going to have the institutional support they need.”
And, Grieco conceded, “the average NPA [no party affiliation] voter in Miami is definitely leaning Republican even before they hear who the candidates are.”
“When one candidate has $10 million and the other candidate has $2 million, it means that the candidate with the most money gets to go on TV and land in mailboxes two months in advance of the other one,” Grieco said. “That means that they get an eight-week head start on messaging.”
Grieco is also forgoing a run for reelection to his current seat in HD 113. Instead, he said he wants to finish out his term and refocus his energies on his family and criminal defense law firm — but he doesn’t rule out another run in the future.
“It’s just not the year,” he said.
Grieco is the subject of a Florida Bar complaint filed with the state Supreme Court in 2020, accusing him of misconduct related to a secret PAC that was revealed by the Herald in 2017 and included a $25,000 illegal contribution from a Norwegian businessman. The complaint, which could lead to professional sanctions, is still unresolved.
The Miami district is still likely to be competitive. In a statement, Florida Senate Victory said Grieco’s decision to drop out “does not change our plans to aggressively challenge Senate District 36,” calling Grieco “a strong advocate for Floridians.” The period for candidates to qualify for the election ends on June 17. The primary election is Aug. 23, and the general election is Nov. 8.