Ryan Nicol
Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam easily secured his re-election Tuesday night, defeating his opponent, Josue Larose.
Messam earned a hefty 86 percent of the vote to Larose’s 14 percent.
Larose qualified for the contest on the last day possible. He’s faced serious allegations of election violations in the past. Larose was previously found guilty on more than 2,000 violations of state election law by the Florida Elections Commission.
Those allegations stemmed from accusations Larose lied about raising millions of dollars from made-up donors during past political campaigns.
Meanwhile, Messam has repeatedly floated a 2020 run for the presidency, hinting a decision could come by the end of March. In February, Messam sent a letter to the Florida Division of Elections asking for an advisory opinion on whether a run would force him to step down as the city’s Mayor.
Florida election law requires candidates for federal office to resign from their current position. But the law also separates our presidential candidates from other federal candidates, such as those for the U.S. Senate or U.S. House. Messam’s attorney is seeking answers on whether the resignation requirement applies to presidential candidates.
The former Florida State University wide receiver earned the endorsement of the Sun Sentinel in the lead-up to the race. Beyond Larose’s past red flags, the paper praised Messam’s work after he was elected the city’s first black Mayor back in 2015.
He’ll now have a chance to continue that work in a second term.
