Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Just Resigned. She’s Still Seeking Reelection.
The embattled Florida Democrat filed for reelection four days before resigning.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the embattled, now-former congresswoman who resigned from Congress this week ahead of potential expulsion, plans to defiantly run for reelection.
Cherfilus-McCormick filed on April 17 to run again for her seat, and a campaign aide confirmed to NOTUS she is running — as a Democrat.
Cherfilus-McCormickstepped down from office Tuesday, a half hour before the House Ethics Committee was scheduled to recommend punishment on an array of charges. The panel had previously found her guilty of 25 ethics violations, including allegedly stealing $5 million dollars in federal disaster-aid funds used to bolster her 2021 campaign as well as campaign-finance violations.
The committee had been investigating Cherfilus-McCormick for two years, issuing 58 subpoenas, interviewing 28 witnesses and reviewing over 33,000 documents.
Cherfilus-McCormick also faces criminal charges regarding the federal relief funds she received during the COVID-19 pandemic.Earlier this month, a judge granted her a trial-date extension to February 2027.
In the meantime, she’s running for the south Florida seat. Cherfilus-McCormick did not respond to a request for comment Friday evening.
Her resignation left the 20th Congressional District seat vacant and it is unclear when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to fill the vacancy. The Republican-led Legislature is also debating whether to redraw district maps in the state.
There are now at least five others running in the Democratic primary: the prominent 1990s rapper Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Mark Douglas, Maisha Williams, Dale Holness and Elijah Manley. Manley came to Washington last month to sit in on a rare public Ethics Committee trial.
“Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned in disgrace moments before her colleagues were set to expel her from Congress,” Manley told NOTUS via text. “The last thing our community needs is a second round of chaos and instability. She should focus on her legal troubles.”
One veteran Florida Democratic operative suggested Cherfilus-McCormick would have a fair shot at winning reelection because the district is heavily reliant on name recognition, adding that the expensive media markets — which span from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale — would make it difficult for a newcomer to break through.
But, the political operative added: “While we would have to check with the lawyers to see if Cherfilus-McCormick can run using Cell Block C as her residence, it isn’t clear that there is anyone in that district who can beat her if she runs again.”
https://www.notus.org/congress/florida-democrat-sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-resigned-reelection-congress-criminal-charges-pending