House and home: Records suggest neither GOP candidate in CD 26 lives there

Republican candidates Omar Blanco and Irina Vilariño, who are competing for the seat in Florida’s 26th Congressional District, both appear to be living outside the district, according to voter registration records.

Those records show both candidates registered at addresses that are in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, not CD 26.

Florida Politics reached out to both the Blanco and Vilariño campaigns to clarify whether those voter registration records are tied to their primary residences. Neither campaign responded.

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of CD 26 also faced down reports surrounding her residency when she originally ran for the seat. Mucarsel-Powell lives outside the district at a home in Pinecrest.

Congressional candidates, however, are not required to live inside the district where they are running. They must only live somewhere in the state.

Mucarsel-Powell’s residency did not appear to dissuade voters, as she defeated then-U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo in 2018.

Vilariño is registered at a Pinecrest residence she owns. The owner of a string of “Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine” restaurants in South Florida, Vilariño joined the race in April to challenge Mucarsel-Powell.

The very next month, Vilariño faced down controversy as a Talking Points Memo report detailed Vilariño posting on a series of conspiracy theories. That included the promotion of the Barack Obama birther conspiracy.

Vilariño defended the tweets, though acknowledged the post on Obama could be seen as controversial.

Nevertheless, Vilariño did earn the backing of the National Republican Congressional Committee as part of their Young Guns “On the Radar” list. She brought in $270,000 during the most recent fundraising quarter, less than half of Mucarsel-Powell’s haul.

Blanco, meanwhile, is a more recent entrant to the race. The head of Miami-Dade Firefighters Local 1403, a local union, joined the race back in August. Blanco eventually courted the endorsement of GOP state Sen. Anitere Flores.

The contest between Blanco and Vilariño was immediately contentious. Vilariño accused Blanco of being a Democratic plant recruited by Mucarsel-Powell.

“It has been rumored for weeks that Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has been encouraging a Republican primary so that she can be better positioned for reelection victory,” Vilariño said, without providing evidence for the alleged rumors.

The Vilariño campaign also pushed back after Blanco’s father-in-law appeared to call Vilariño a “Marielita” on Twitter. That term refers to the Mariel boatlift, which Vilariño and her family used to escape Cuba and come to the U.S.

Vilariño called the term “derogatory” and “offensive.” Blanco refused to apologize, saying he did not make the comment.