Ryan Nicol
Democratic Sen. José Javier Rodríguez is hiring campaign operative Tomas Alcala to serve as campaign manager for the Senator’s reelection efforts.
Alcala has served on campaigns for Sen. Bobby Powell Jr. and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, among others.
“It’s an honor to work for one of the boldest progressive champions in the Florida Legislature,” Alcala said in a Twitter post announcing the move.
“Sen. Rodríguez has dedicated his life to fighting for families, seniors, small business owners, students and taxpayers; for access to affordable health care, for an economy that works for all and for action on important environmental issues like climate change & sea level rise. Now we need your help to make sure he gets re-elected to the Florida Senate!”
Alcala then linked to the campaign site, seeking individuals looking to volunteer or intern with the campaign.
Until late May, Rodríguez had a clear path to reelection in Senate District 37. That changed when GOP Senate leadership courted Garcia to run for the seat.
She filed for the race shortly after. Last week, non-party affiliated candidate Alex Rodriguez also qualified in the contest.
Senate President-Designate Wilton Simpson and Majority Leader Kathleen Passidomo endorsed Garcia’s bid to steal the seat for Republicans. On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis also endorsed Garcia.
Rodríguez is seeking a second term in the Senate after serving four years in the House. Despite only recently acquiring opponents in the race, Rodríguez has raised nearly $370,000. He’s only spent just over $16,000 of that, giving him plenty of money in the bank to defend his seat.
Alcala will now attempt to help guide Rodríguez on that path. Last week, the campaign launched an ad detailing criticism of Florida’s unemployment system during the COVID-19 crisis.
SD 37 covers portions of Miami-Dade County including Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest.
