Hector Mujica, a Venezuelan-American who left his longtime job at Google to run for the U.S. Senate in Florida, is leaving the statewide race to instead run for Congress in South Florida.
He announced last week that he was going to compete in the Democratic primary for the 28th congressional district currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez. Also running in the Democratic primary is Phil Ehr, a retired U.S. Navy pilot.
“I’m running for Congress because families here are doing everything right, and still falling behind… That’s not how this country is supposed to work,” Mujica said in his video message announcing his campaign. “For too long, this district has had the same kind of leadership, focused on political theater in Washington while families here face rising costs, housing pressures, and an economy that no longer works the way it used to.”
“The power of America’s middle class is what brought my family here from Venezuela, and it’s why I’m fighting to preserve that opportunity for my son,” Mujica said.
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“El Sueño Americano no ha desaparecido. Pero juntos debemos luchar por él,” he adds in Spanish in saying the American Dream has not disappeared, but we all need to fight together for it.
Said Mujica: “This race is a choice. We can keep sending the same politicians to Washington while Miami grows more expensive, more corrupt, and harder to live in — or we can choose new leadership that understands firsthand what families in South Florida face and how hard it has become to build a stable life in today’s economy.”
Mujica claims the race for the congressional seat held by Gimenez is competitive, but the non-partisan Cook Political Report says it’s “solid Republican.” Other congressional elections analysts echo the 2026 prediction.
Gimenez, who has won three consecutive House races, crushed his Democratic opponent — Ehr — in 2024 by 30 points.
