Joe Garcia

In addition to several state probes, Rivera was the target of a federal investigation into allegations he tried to Sabotage the Democratic primary in the 26th by secretly funding an unknown candidate, Justin Lamar Sternad, in hopes of avoiding a rematch against García.

Several vendors whom Sternad employed in his campaign told the Miami Herald that Rivera had funded Sternad's campaign.

Sternad himself subsequently told the FBI that Rivera had funded his campaign.

Sternad's campaign manager, Ana Alliegro, was a close friend of Rivera.

According to Sternad she served as the go-between.

Garcia won the rematch, defeating Rivera 54%–43%.

He was the first Cuban-American Democrat to represent Florida in Congress, and remains the only one as of 2022.

José Antonio Garcia Jr. (born October 12, 1963), known as Joe Garcia, is an American attorney and politician.

Garcia graduated in 1982 from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, where he participated in the Close Up Washington civic education program.

Garcia attended Miami-Dade Community College before earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and public affairs from the University of Miami in 1987.

While at university, Garcia was elected president of the student government.

He earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 1991.

Garcia served on the Florida Public Service Commission as chairman.

While on the FPSC, he chaired the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and was second vice chair of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Garcia was later appointed to the Federal Communications Commission Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service and was a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Garcia served on the board of the Spanish American League Against Discrimination (SALAD) and on the board of directors of Regis House, a drug addiction treatment and prevention center for inner-city youth in Miami.

He is a member of the board of directors of the Cuban American National Foundation, and a past president.

He has served as director of the New Democrat Network Hispanic Strategy Center, and chairman of the Democratic Party of Miami-Dade County.

In 1993 Garcia ran for the Miami-Dade County Commission for District 11, making the run-off against Miguel Diaz de la Portilla in a close race Diaz de la Portilla beat Garcia 51%-48%.

Garcia announced on February 7, 2008, his candidacy for the U.S. Congress in FL's 25th congressional district.

Garcia's campaign raised over $1.8 million but incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart defeated Garcia 53%-47%.

This 6% lost is easily the closest that a Democrat has come to defeating one of the Díaz-Balart brothers in a Congressional election.

In 2009, Garcia joined the Obama administration in a Senate-confirmed position as director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact in the United States Department of Energy.

During his tenure at the energy department, Garcia was appointed by President Obama to the Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status.

In April 2010, Garcia announced his candidacy for the 25th district again, after U.S. Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart announced he would run for reelection in the 21st District being vacated by his brother, Lincoln Díaz-Balart.

In his campaign announcement, Garcia stated he would focus on job creation, funding education and health care as his top priorities.

Garcia defeated Luis Meurice in the Democratic primary, 76%-24%.

In the general election, Garcia faced State Representative David Rivera, Tea Party activist Jose 'Roly' Arrojo, and Florida Whig Party nominee Craig Porter.

Rivera defeated Garcia, 52%-43%, or a 9.5-point margin.

In 2012, Garcia announced he would seek a rematch against Rivera in what was now the 26th district.

The district had been pushed well to the east and south, losing its share of Collier County and picking up all of Monroe County, including the Keys.

The race was widely expected to be much closer than in previous cycles.

Not only was it more evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans than its predecessor, but Rivera's campaign was hobbled by numerous scandals.

Garcia represented FL's 26th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015.

A Democrat, Garcia represented most of western Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys in Congress.

Garcia previously served as executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation and in the Department of Energy.

In 2021, Garcia became a registered lobbyist on behalf of the government of Ethiopia.

José Antonio Garcia, Jr. was born in Miami Beach, Florida to José Garcia, Sr. and his wife, Carmen.

His parents fled Cuba after the Cuban Revolution occurred and Fidel Castro's Communist regime took power.

In May 2013, Garcia's chief-of-staff and top political strategist went to jail after being implicated in a sophisticated scheme to manipulate the previous year’s primary elections by submitting hundreds of fraudulent absentee-ballot requests.