Frederica Wilson grants her coveted endorsement in crowded congressional race

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson granted her coveted endorsement Monday to Miami-Dade County Commissioner and former Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert in the crowded race to succeed her in the U.S. House after her retirement.

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“It’s not a job for a neophyte, it’s a job for experience, you have to hit the ground running,” Wilson said during a campaign event for Gilbert in Miami Gardens recorded by Hy-Lo News. “I need somebody who’ll fight just like I fought.”

She later handed a flaming torch to Gilbert in a symbolic gesture.

Wilson has represented the Miami-area district for 15 years, but sparked a mad dash of high-profile Democratic candidates jumping into the race after she announced last month that she wouldn’t run for the seat again.

As the district’s longtime representative, her endorsement carries significant weight in an election cycle where most of the candidates entered the race less than three months before election day in the Aug. 18 primary. Gilbert touted her influence Monday.

“This is the most meaningful endorsement I could ask for,” Gilbert wrote in a statement after her announcement. “Congresswoman Wilson has fought for this community for decades, the last 15 years in congress doing the hard work to move our community and country forward, and she does not give her word lightly.”

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Gilbert also received the endorsement of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava earlier this month. His opponents have been stacking up their own endorsements ahead of Election Day.

State Sen. Shevrin Jones announced Monday that the local mayors of the cities of West Park, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood had endorsed his candidacy in the race. He has also been endorsed by Sybrina Fulton, the activist and mother of Trayvon Martin who Gilbert ran against to win his county commission seat.

The grandson and son of the district’s two prior representatives Kendrick Meek Jr. has name recognition and family legacy bolstering his run. His grandmother Carrie Meek was among the first Black representatives in Congress since Reconstruction after a federal judge redrew Florida’s voting maps in 1992 to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.

Miami arts icon Marshall Davis, physician Rudolph Moise, former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime and attorney Roderick Vereen are also running for the Democratic nomination.

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