In the first partisan race for Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor, a political text sent to voters is getting attention.
The text, in part, asks voters to reject J.C. Planas, the Democratic candidate, because he’s "pretending to be a Democrat."
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Planas told NBC6 he received the text himself and called it a desperate tactic by his opponent, Alina Garcia, the Republican in the race.
The test goes on to say: “Do not be confused, Progressives are rejecting J.C. Planas – and so should you!”
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Planas, who is a law professor and specializes in election law, served in the Florida State House for eight years. His change in party affiliation is not a secret in South Florida politics.
“I mean I am a former Republican; everybody knows I’m a former Republican. I switched parties because of the election denialism of Donald Trump,” Planas said. “And now I’m running to preserve our democracy.”
“This fraud does NOT deserve our votes,” the text read. At the bottom, it tells voters it was paid by Garcia, who did not deny her campaign sent it out.
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“I think that my opponent becomes whatever he needs to become,” Garcia said. “So I don’t think that he’s a real democrat but I think he does whatever it’s convenient.”
Garcia, like Planas, is also well-known in the community. She is currently a member of the State House of Representatives representing District 115. Garcia was elected to that post in 2022.
“I think she’s trying for some reason to cause some sort of uncertainty with Democrats…I don’t think she realizes that nobody is going to fall for stuff like that,” Planas said.
Aside from the text message back-and-forth, NBC 6 asked both candidates what sets them apart.
“I’m not a professor,” Garcia said. “I am somebody that has always rolled up her sleeves and gotten her hands dirty.”
But Planas touted his professional background.
“I’ve been an elections attorney for over 15 years. I’ve done over 20 recounts not just in Miami-Dade but in other elections departments across the state.”
Miami-Dade is heavily Democratic, which gives Planas an advantage especially during a presidential race. George H.W. Bush was the last Republican presidential candidate to win Miami-Dade in 1988.
