Ileana Ydolia Garcia is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, who serves as a member of the Florida Senate.

Early life

The daughter of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n exiles, Garcia grew up in Florida. Her career was in media, working in both television and radio.

Political career

She served as the first Hispanic female Deputy Press Secretary at the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

under President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

. Garcia founded the group Latinas for Trump and in 2016 was the Trump campaign's communications Director for Latino outreach. In March 2022 during debate for the Parental Rights in Education bill in the Florida Senate, Ileana Garcia claimed that “gay is not a permanent thing, LGBT is not a permanent thing.”

2020 Florida Senate election fraud investigation

In June 2020, Garcia filed to run against incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

José Javier Rodríguez in Florida's 37th State Senate District. On the first count, Garcia beat Rodríguez by a narrow margin of 31 votes; the lead increased to 34 after a recount. Garcia's election then came under immediate scrutiny by local news outlets for the candidacy of independent candidate Alex Rodríguez, who shares the same last name as José Javier Rodríguez and is an acquaintance of former Republican State Senator

Frank Artiles Frank Artiles (born April 22, 1973) is a Cuban-American Republican politician from Florida. He served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing parts of Miami-Dade County from 2010 to 2016, before being elected to the Fl ...

. Alex Rodríguez did not campaign but received 6,382 votes from voters confused about who they were voting for. It was widely acknowledged that his candidacy was decisive in the outcome of the election. On March 17, 2021, Artiles was accused of having paid $44,708.03 to Alex Rodríguez before and after the election in order for him to run as a false candidate in order to siphon off votes from candidate José Javier Rodríguez.
/ref> His house at Palmetto Bay, Florida, Palmetto Bay was searched, and he surrendered the next day to the Miami-Dade County Jail.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Ileana Republican Party Florida state senators Living people American politicians of Cuban descent 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Florida Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida Latino conservatism in the United States