Candidates vie to replace Ana Maria Rodriguez in key swing House seat

Two state House newcomers pulled out of competitive primaries in August in hopes to replace Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez in House District 105, a gerrymandered South Florida district that runs from Doral and Sweetwater on the western edge of Miami-Dade County across Collier County to Naples, with a bit of Broward County included.

Sweetwater Commissioner David Borrero and Doral immigration attorney Maureen Porras will be competing for votes in District 105’s nearly evenly split swing district, with numbers at 32% Democrat, 32% Republican and 35% no party affiliation, according to book closing figures from the 2020 presidential primary cycle.

The district has gained over 1,200 registered Democrats and over 1,600 Republican voters since 2018. The number of no-party voters grew by just 253.

Porras and Borrero, both 31, proved successful in crowded primaries that drew two previously unsuccessful state representative candidates who ran in 2018, among others.

Borrero, the Sweetwater city commissioner, distinguished himself among his primary opponents as the closest aligned with President Donald Trump, touting himself as a “true conservative” with proposals like protecting religious organizations and establishing criminal penalties for fathers in Florida who leave children to be raised by single mothers. He won his primary with about 41% of the vote.

He is also concerned by elderly residents in the district who struggle to afford living in Miami-Dade County, and says he would work to lower the cost of living by reducing property taxes, lowering highway tolls and raising homestead exemptions for retirees.

“To me, a true conservative means you believe in protecting freedom, protecting against government abuse and believing in godly, moral values,” he said in an interview with the Miami Herald. “We want to protect against government abuse and expansion … and the growth of socialist-like policies.”

Borrero got his start in politics as a campaign manager for the 2016 election of former Republican state Rep. Carlos Trujillo, a two-time incumbent of District 105. Borrero was elected to the Sweetwater city commission in 2017 after serving as the city’s grant administrator. Borrero also works for construction firm T&G Constructors as a project coordinator. Borrero, originally from Swansea, a small town in southeastern Massachusetts, holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University. He plans to graduate from St. Thomas University School of Law in December. He sent a letter of resignation from his seat on the Sweetwater city commission, effective Nov. 3.

His opponent, Porras, an immigration attorney, competed with one-time House District 105 candidate Javier Estevez in the Democratic primary, and pulled through with 64% of the vote.

Porras, who was born in Managua, Nicaragua, and moved to the U.S. at 7 years old, would be the first Nicaraguan American to serve in the Florida House. She said her background gives her an advantage in connecting with District 105, which encompasses Sweetwater, “home to the largest concentration of Nicaraguans and Nicaraguan-Americans in the U.S.,” according to the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.

Porras graduated from Florida International University. While attending FIU, she interned with former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican, where she assisted immigrants. She is a graduate of the Florida Coastal School of Law.

In addition to being the first Nicaraguan American elected to the House, she says she would also be the first elected Democrat to represent ruby red Collier County in two decades.

“We believe it’s a historic campaign,” Porras said. “We are just getting excited to flip.”

Porras said her story resonates with voters in the district, who she believes “want a fresh face, a fresh perspective.” She also represents the immigrant community, she said, and understands its needs when it comes to temporary protected status and offering protection for those fleeing persecution from other countries. The community is an important voter bloc, too.

The non-Cuban Hispanic demographic in Florida makes up roughly 70% of eligible Latino voters in Florida, according to Census data from 2018, and is part of Florida’s crucial independent swing voters. Many Nicaraguans and others in the Hispanic and Latino population do not identify with either Republicans or Democrats.

Porras said she especially understands those who came to Miami to escape the socialist government of Daniel Ortega and the Sandinista National Liberation Front, like her family did.

“We share our stories about how our families are exiles and how we have to make sure that the Sandinistas get removed from Nicaragua,” she said. “We share that concern.”

A Democrat has not held the seat since 2012.

“Our campaign is focusing on the issues that are important to the community and focusing on our residents and not on special interests,” she said.

On the issues

When it comes to COVID-19 and the economy, both Porras and Borrero say that business owners and Floridians who have lost jobs due to pandemic-related closures need easier and more reliable access to unemployment benefits. Borrero is also concerned with protecting businesses from being held liable for lawsuits related to COVID-19.

COVID-19 has also tested the state’s healthcare system, which Borrero says needs more competition to remain affordable. He said his “free market approach” to healthcare would work to bring down prices and make healthcare more affordable for Floridians.

“Mandating insurance is not the solution,” he said, referring to an Affordable Care Act mandate that requires all Americans to obtain health insurance. “We need to allow for more competition in a free-market system.”

Porras says the answer to better healthcare in Florida is Medicaid expansion, creating affordable prescription drug programs and working toward more affordable routine healthcare.

On education, the candidates vary in viewpoints. Porras supports public schools and says public education should be treated equally to private education. For her, that means increased funding and better pay for teachers. In a survey published by Florida Politics, Porras said she wants to see the state “divesting public funds from charter schools.”

“Our teachers are usually taken for granted, and they will always do what’s best for our kids,” she said. “We need better funding for public schools. That’s something I want to elevate in Tallahassee.”

Borrero told the Miami Herald that Porras’ stance on charter school funding is “one of the reasons I am better for Florida than my opponent.”

“I am a huge proponent of school choice,” he said. “We see historically that when we allow for more options, it provides for a better education.”

The opponents also differ on gun legislation, which Porras says she’d like to see reformed by passing universal background checks and expanding red flag laws for family members. The laws allow police to petition a court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may be dangerous. In some states, family members can petition a court to remove the firearm, but in Florida relatives have to contact the police.

Borrero said he does not believe in additional restrictions on gun owners in the state.

“The right to bear arms should not be infringed upon,” he said. “I don’t believe in red flag laws. The Second Amendment is very clear.”