Kendrick Meek Jr. running for U.S. House seat his father, grandmother once held

Attorney Kendrick Meek Jr. filed paperwork Wednesday to run for Florida’s 24th District, after Rep. Frederica Wilson announced two weeks ago that she wouldn’t seek reelection.

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Meek enters with a special caché: His grandmother was among Florida’s first three Black representatives in Congress since Reconstruction after a federal court drew the majority-Black South Florida district to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act. His father then held the seat from 2003 until 2011.

His entrance in the race shakes up a field that already had high-profile local politicians vying to carry on Wilson’s torch.

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Former Miami Gardens mayor and County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert and state Sen. Shevrin Jones held their campaign launch parties this week.

The Democratic primary, which will likely decide who represents the Miami district in Washington, is set for Aug. 18. Candidates must qualify by Friday to make the ballot.

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This is a breaking story and will be updated.