DCCC Political Memo

CALL SHEET FOR CHAIRMAN LUJÁN

To: Chairman Ben Ray Luján From: DCCC Political Department – Andrew Piatt (cell: 817-368-6523, [email protected]) Date: February 10, 2016 Subject: Joe Garcia (FL-26)

Purpose of Call:

YOU requested to call former Rep. Joe Garcia to tell him you are personally leaning in on Annette Taddeo’s candidacy in FL-26 (Curbelo).

Cell: (305) 297-7736

Talking Points:

 Please have a frank discussion with Garcia regarding his personal baggage. The election fraud scandal that led to the imprisonment of his former Chief of Staff, as well as his comments (out of context, yet still damaging) that “communism works” are serious liabilities and give the Republicans powerful negatives against him. These make it very difficult to contrast with Curbelo, since the case against him is based on his own ethical failings. It is time for a clean start in this district.

Background:

 Garcia’s campaign did not fail because of a tough year in 2014. His personal baggage and disorganized campaign were the major factors. This is a district where the mid-term electorate was difficult, but where the fundamentals were much stronger compared to other Frontline districts where we had success. The top of the ticket won the district, the President’s numbers stayed relatively strong, and the generic ballot was neutral or favorable for most of the cycle.

Joe Garcia Biography:

Joe is a dedicated public servant who has called South Florida home for his entire life. With scholarships and money he had saved from cutting grass with his grandfather on weekends, Joe put himself through the University of Miami. After graduating UM Law School, Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed Garcia to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC), the state agency regulating utilities. Serving under both Democratic and Republican governors, Joe made Florida’s families his top priority and helped usher in the single largest energy rate cut in Florida’s history—meaning lower electricity bills for Florida’s families through the 1990’s. Garcia left the PSC in 2000 and was named Executive Director of the Cuban American National Foundation where he became one of the country’s leading advocates for human rights in Cuba and Latin America.

In 2009, President Obama appointed him to direct the Office of Minority Economic Impact in the Department of Energy. During his tenure at the Energy Department, President Obama also appointed Joe to the Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status. There, he focused on lowering energy costs in Puerto Rico and pushed for renewable energy projects on the island of Vieques. Joe has served on the board of the Spanish American League Against Discrimination and the board of directors of Regis House, a drug addiction prevention center for inner-city youth in Miami. He is a board member and past president of the Cuban American National Foundation. Joe has previously served as director of the New Democratic Network Hispanic Strategy Center and chairman of the Democratic Party of Miami-Dade County.

1 FL-26 DISTRICT SUMMARY