{"id":349226,"date":"2026-07-22T23:27:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T23:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/349226\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T23:27:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T23:27:13","slug":"democratic-primary-7-candidates-seek-to-succeed-wilson-in-floridas-24th-congressional-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/349226\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic primary: 7 candidates seek to succeed Wilson in Florida\u2019s 24th Congressional District"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven Democratic candidates agree that there is an affordability crisis in Florida\u2019s 24th Congressional District<\/a>, which covers communities in northern Miami-Dade and southern Broward.<\/p>\n

The candidates running to succeed U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson<\/a>, who has represented the 24th Congressional District<\/a> for about 13 years, include two Haitian Americans and a member of a local political dynasty<\/a>. <\/p>\n

As of Wednesday, campaign finance records<\/a> showed retired U.S. Air Force Col. Dr. Rudolph \u201cRudy\u201d Moise, who was born in Port-au-Prince, leads the crowded field with over $631,000 in total receipts.<\/p>\n

\"\"CD 24 CANDIDATE: Dr. Rudolph \u201cRudy\u201d Moise is running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 24. <\/p>\n

The physician, who has a practice in North Miami and also earned a juris doctor and a master of business administration from the University of Miami, said he wants to change the Medicare eligibility age to 55. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe difficulty that they are experiencing right now, rising, also, costs, groceries, gasoline, medicine, health care,\u201d said Moise, 71, a Haitian American. <\/p>\n

Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver G. Gilbert II, a former Miami Gardens mayor, followed with over $524,000 in receipts, according to campaign finance records<\/a>. Wilson formally endorsed him on June 22. <\/p>\n

\"\"CD 24 CANDIDATE: Oliver G. Gilbert II is running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 24. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you are in District 24 in Florida or District 24 in Texas, you need healthcare, you need food security, you need affordable housing, you need to be able to go to the store if your check didn\u2019t get bigger, but prices got bigger. That\u2019s a problem for real Americans, and I want to help with that,\u201d said Gilbert, 53, who also earned a J.D. from UM. <\/p>\n

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava also endorsed Gilbert. A St. Pete Polls survey<\/a> commissioned by Florida Politics<\/a> showed Gilbert had the support of 27% of Democrats. <\/p>\n

At 29 years old, Kendrick Meek Jr., who also earned a J.D. from UM, follows Gilbert with more than $486,500, according to campaign finance records<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the only candidate in this race that has experience working on Capitol Hill and at the White House. I\u2019m very proud of that,\u201d Meek said about his internships at the House Administration Committee in 2015<\/a> and the House Judiciary Committee in 2021<\/a>, and his work as an aide on healthcare policy initiatives under the Biden administration. <\/p>\n

\"\"CD 24 CANDIDATE: Kendrick Meek, Jr. is running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 24. <\/p>\n

Meek said he wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, former U.S. Rep. Kendrick B. Meek, who served Florida\u2019s 17th Congressional District from 2003 to 2011, and his grandmother, the late former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, who served Florida\u2019s 17th Congressional District from 1993 to 2003.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that I\u2019m going to be able to bring resources… on behalf of this community from day one,\u201d Meek said. <\/p>\n

Former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson endorsed Meek. A St. Pete Polls survey<\/a> commissioned by Florida Politics<\/a> showed Meek had the support of 10% of Democrats. <\/p>\n

Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, who was born in Miami Gardens, follows Meek with over $148,000 in total receipts, according to campaign finance records<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"\"CD 24 CANDIDATE: Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones is running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 24. <\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida<\/a> endorsed Jones, 42, who earned a doctorate in education from Florida Atlantic University. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at the cost of healthcare and people having to choose to pay their rent or even getting their prescription drugs. That is a broken system. That is a government that is working against the people and not for the people,\u201d Jones said. <\/p>\n

Broward County Commissioner Alexandra Davis, and former Miami-Dade Commissioners Betty Ferguson and Barbara Jordan endorsed Jones.<\/p>\n

A St. Pete Polls survey<\/a> commissioned by Florida Politics<\/a> showed Jones had the support of 24% of Democrats. <\/p>\n

\"\"CD 24 CANDIDATE: Jean Monestime is running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 24. <\/p>\n

Jean Monestime, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner, follows with more than $57,000 in receipts, according to campaign finance records<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can do a lot building people up, instead of pushing people down, and we do so by providing them with an opportunity. I\u2019m a candidate for Congress because these are the opportunities this community gave to me a little over 45 years ago when I arrived here,\u201d said Monestime, 63, a Haitian-American businessman and former real estate broker. <\/p>\n

\"\"CD 24 CANDIDATE: Roderick D. Vereen is running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 24. <\/p>\n

Roderick D. Vereen, a criminal defense attorney who was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1990, had $15,000 in receipts, according to campaign finance records<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look at the other candidates, I think I\u2019m the most qualified. Congress is the lawmaking body of the government, and I\u2019m a lawyer, so I think I have a better grasp of the law,\u201d Vereen, 64, said. \u201cI think I can be a better voice of the people in Washington D.C. This is the right time for me to take that opportunity.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"CD 24 CANDIDATE Marshall Davis is running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 24. <\/p>\n

Marshal L. Davis, Sr., the director of the Marshal L. Davis, Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Miami\u2019s Liberty City since 1963, had more than $13,000 in receipts, according to campaign finance records<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to look at what we consider to be the problem because with any problem, there is a solution,\u201d Davis, 76, said. \u201cWe have to look at our potential and be expansive, and we\u2019ve got to govern ourselves by principles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mail-in ballot request deadline is Aug. 6, the Democratic primary is Aug. 18, and the general election is Nov. 3.<\/p>\n

Related stories<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seven Democratic candidates agree that there is an affordability crisis in Florida\u2019s 24th Congressional District, which covers communities…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-349226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}