The bearer of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson's legacy has been chosen by voters in the Democratic primary: It is Oliver Gilbert, who won the nomination for Florida's 24th Congressional District on Tuesday night.
Gilbert, a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner and former mayor of Miami Gardens, won a packed race among seven Democrats that came down to a tight battle between Gilbert and state Sen. Shevrin Jones.
Gilbert will face unopposed Republican candidate Te Brown in November, but the district is tilted heavily in favor of Democrats.
"We are one, and after November when we beat the Republican opponent, we are going to Washington together," Gilbert said during his acceptance speech in Miami Gardens.
READ MORE: Crowded field of Democrats battle to succeed Rep. Frederica Wilson. Jones, Gilbert are frontrunners
Gilbert was endorsed by Wilson, his predecessor who spent decades in public office and had held the congressional seat since 2013.
"All of the men who were in this race are friends of mine," Wilson told WLRN on Tuesday night. "I watched everyone and I came to the conclusion that it should be Oliver Gilbert. Oliver is generous, he has stamina, and he is stern."
Gilbert ran on a platform of improving affordability by strengthening labor unions and worker protections, and fighting against President Donald Trump by pushing Congress to take control of federal tariffs. He named various workers unions in his acceptance speech as his allies, including AFSCME, AFL-CIO and Unite Here.
" I believe in social services, but I also believe should actually be providing work. I believe that healthcare in this country is a right. If we can't figure it out all at once, then let's do things incrementally to figure it out," Gilbert told WLRN in an interview.
The district includes predominantly Black and Hispanic communities in northern Miami-Dade and southern Broward counties, including Miami Gardens, Opa-locka, North Miami, Little Haiti, Brownsville, West Park, Pembroke Park and portions of Miramar and Miami.
Though Jones held a steady lead in Broward, the majority of District 24 is Miami-Dade, which swung for Gilbert by about five percentage points, according to unofficial election results.
Jones conceded the race around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, congratulating Gilbert and saying he ran a strong campaign.
"Throughout this journey, we had thousands of conversations on porches and at kitchen tables, and I am so grateful for those who shared their concerns, ideas, and vision for our community," Jones said in a statement. "This campaign was never about me or any one person — it was about the future we want to build together, and that fight doesn’t end tonight."
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also endorsed Gilbert, and said he will champion affordability.
"We need an aggressive, smart, persistent voice like Oliver Gilbert to make sure we're on the map when it comes to the federal government," Levine Cava said.
