David Rivera’s reasons for leaving FL26 race ring false

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Former Congressman David “King Nine Lives” Rivera announced Friday that he would “suspend campaigning” that in the congressional primary for his old seat in District 26, and “launch” instead a campaign for a state House seat in 2016.

But, while he was mincing words, Rivera told Ladra in a short telephone interview that he had not dropped out of the congressional race completely.

Rivera has blamed his ahem, sudden indecision, on a judicial ruling Thursday that, he says, puts all congressional districts in uncertain territory.

But you know what happened Wednesday? Justin Lamar Sternad, the ringer candidate Rivera is accused of planting in the 2012 Democratic primary against the eventual winner, Congressman Joe Garcia, was sentenced to seven months for violating election laws.

Coincidence?

In a short telephone conversation with Ladra, Rivera limited his statements, as usual, and laughed at the notion that he’d given up the race for a number of other reasons.

“I’ve suspended campaigning pending a review of the legal decision,” Rivera told Ladra, referring to a state court ruling Thursday that invalidates the redrawn districts of 2012 and orders a redo.

But that just doesn’t ring true to Ladra. How can you say you’re not campaigning for a seat — and an important seat like Congress — and still be taken seriously as a contender? How can you be both a candidate for Conress and “launch” your candidacy for Florida House at the same time? Rivera is one of the best when it comes to political strategy, and he knows that this doesn’t make sense when you are still in the fight.

He wouldn’t make this official announcement if his heart were really in it:

“As you may have already heard, yesterday a Florida court outrageously invalidated the state’s congressional district map which had been drawn by the Florida Legislature in 2012. This decision has created great uncertainty as to the final composition of all of Florida’s congressional districts, including CD 26 in South Florida, for which I am a candidate. In essence, liberal activist judges are hijacking the reapportionment process and holding congressional candidates like myself hostage until the appeals process concludes at the liberal Democrat-dominated Florida Supreme Court (see Bush v. Gore 2000). As a congressional candidate affected by this decision, I will not be held hostage by Florida’s liberal activist judges. After consulting with state legislative leaders and reapportionment attorneys, and pending further clarification of this court decision, I have decided to suspend campaigning for CD 26 and will launch my candidacy to the Florida State House of Representatives for the 2016 election cycle. There are just too many issues to solve in Florida, Common Core, Medicaid, economic development and others, to sit by and wait for unelected judges to decide the fate of congressional districts. As always, I am humbled and grateful for your support of my candidacy. However, while Florida’s liberal activist judges may cast uncertainty by hijacking the congressional reapportionment process, I simply will not allow myself to be one of their hostages.”

But there could be and likely will be a lengthy appeals process or the legislature could call a special session to just surgically tweak just two districts to the north. District 26 will likely get redrawn eventually, but we don’t expect anything to happen here this year. What’s his rush? Why not run for House as a sitting Congressman and do some of the things you say you can do in the meantime?

Ladra thinks that Rivera — who was using recycled campaign materials from 2012 — just found the out he was looking for.

More likely reasons: No money. None of his friends’ endorsements — even BFF Sen. Marco Rubio was staying on the sidelines.  Oh, yeah, and that pesky federal investigation.

Sternad pleaded guilty to campaign violations and basically told federal prosecutors that he was a fall guy for Rivera, who was then defending his seat, and his campaign consultant Ana Sol Alliegro. He testified that both of them had recruited him as what Ladra calls a plantidate to challenge Garcia, Rivera’s longtime rival, in the presidential year primary. Garcia ultimately beat Sternad and went on to topple King Nine Lives, too, amid the scandalous headlines.

“I hate to admit that I was naive,” Sternad was quoted in the Miami Herald as he spoke to U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga. “I hate to admit that Ana Alliegro and David Rivera were able to take advantage of me.”

That could indicate that the case against Rivera is headed toward some kind of resolution, and that Rivera could be in the news again soon. We in the media love him. Or he could have made a deal with the feds, in which he pulls out of the race for Congress and pays a fine and they’ll drop some charges, etc. etc. Wait for it.

Regardless, something like this tends to hamper campaign efforts.

In fact, what campaign efforts? Rivera did not have his usual campaign staff with him as both Javier Correoso and Esther Nufer are off doing other things (like the anti medical pot campaign and Sweetwater Councilman Orlando Lopez‘s mayoral campaign, respectively, for two).

Rivera was even using campaign materials he recycled from 2012, passing them out at the non-debate sponsored by several local Republican clubs last month at FIU.

Read related story: First congressional ‘debate’ a dud, even with Rivera

Ladra is certain he was disappointed that all his former colleagues had stuck with backing Miami-Dade School Board Member Carlos Curbelo, who is the proclaimed front-runner in the primary with three other candidates, including former Miami-Dade Commission Chair Joe Martinez and Cutler Bay Mayor Ed MacDougall.

And, as mentioned, we also think Rivera’s watching the clock on the U.S. Attorney’s investigation into a federal campaign finance scheme in which he is accused of putting a ringer in the Democratic primary against Congressman Joe Garcia and funding his campaign. Garcia ultimately beat him and will now face one of the three primary candidates left (because Larry Palomares Starbuck might get 3 percent).

Rivera would not comment on any of these suppositions when Ladra asked him in a short telephone conversation if his short-lived and high-publicity campaign was just a stunt.

“I haven’t made a final decision,” he said.

But nobody believes that. I bet Curbelo, who could not be immediately reached for comment, is already celebrating.

  Carlos Curbelo, Congressional district 26, David Rivera