Oliver Gilbert III has picked up the endorsement of Rodney Harris, the Miami Gardens Mayor who succeeded him, in the Democratic Primary for CD 24 — a nod that plants the city’s sitting chief executive firmly in Gilbert’s camp.

Harris served alongside Gilbert on the Miami Gardens City Council before succeeding him as Mayor in 2020. In a statement released by Gilbert’s campaign, he cast the former two-term Mayor and Miami-Dade County Commissioner as a leader who consistently moved from vision to action.

“I am endorsing Oliver Gilbert for Congress because I know his character, I know his record, and I know his heart,” Harris said. “Miami Gardens has already seen what Oliver can accomplish. I believe South Florida will benefit from that same leadership in Congress.”

Harris credited Gilbert with championing community policing, encouraging business investment, reimagining city parks and conceiving what became the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. As a County Commissioner, Harris said, Gilbert helped secure more than $20 million toward a Miami Gardens Performing Arts Center now preparing to break ground.

The seat is open. Frederica Wilson, 83, announced in April she would not seek a ninth term, ending a congressional tenure that began in 2011. Wilson told the Miami Herald she held the news until Ron DeSantis signed the new congressional map, wary of turning the district into a redistricting target.

The redrawn CD 24 covers Miami Gardens in Miami-Dade along with Hollywood, Miramar and Pembroke Park in Broward County, and remains heavily Democratic — more than 68% of its voters backed Kamala Harris in 2024. That math makes the Aug. 18 Primary the contest that will effectively decide Wilson’s successor.

It is also a crowded one. Seven Democrats qualified, including former state Sen. Shevrin Jones, former Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime, physician Rudy Moise, Kendrick Meek Jr., Roderick Vereen and Marshall Davis. Jones, like Gilbert, calls Miami Gardens home — which gives Harris’ endorsement an extra edge in a race where both front-runners are fighting for the same turf.

Gilbert resigned his District 1 Commission seat effective Jan. 3, 2027, clearing the way for his run, and reported raising more than $250,000 in his first five days as a candidate. He has also landed the backing of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

The General Election is Nov. 3.

—

— Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.