Raquel Regalado running for Congress

Daughter of Miami mayor seeks seat being vacated by retiring Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Raquel Regalado, the daughter of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, says she's running for Congress.

MIAMI – Raquel Regalado is running for Congress.

The former Miami-Dade County school board member announced Tuesday that she's running to fill the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida.

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"I'm running for Congress because we cannot afford to live in South Florida," Regalado said in a video posted on her Facebook page. "Because before we get to any other issue, we need better-paying jobs. We can't afford to buy a home. We can't afford to live here. We can't afford to raise our children here, let alone hope that one they and their children will call South Florida home."

Regalado said the residents of Florida's 27th Congressional District need a representative who will "put partisan-rhetoric aside and represent our interests that will ensure that our voices are heard and that things get done."

"I have been and will continue to be that voice," she said.

Ros-Lehtinen said in April that she won't seek re-election in 2018. She has served in Congress since 1989.

Regalado, 42, is a single mother of two autistic children and the daughter of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. She unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Miami-Dade County last year.

It's official Raquel Regalado for Congress!

Posted by Raquel Regalado on Tuesday, July 25, 2017