Hold on to your cafecito. Guess who is suddenly being whispered about in Miami political circles as a possible challenger to Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar?
None other than former Trump insider-turned-convicted felon-turned-whistleblower-turned-documentary-subject Lev Parnas.
Yes, that Lev Parnas. The same one who once worked alongside Rudy Giuliani, helped stir the Ukraine pot that led to Donald Trump’s first impeachment, went to federal prison on campaign finance charges, and then reemerged as a born-again anti-Trump truth teller with a Substack and a documentary glow-up.
Now, according to buzz bouncing around Miami-Dade political operatives like a loose ficha at Domino Park, Parnas may be eyeing Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
Yes, that district. The one where the contest already looks like an on-ramp to I-95 in downtown Miami.
Read related: Is Maria Elvira Salazar finally getting a real challenger in Eliott Rodriguez?
The most recent wannabe for that seat is newly-retired TV anchorman and journalist Eliott Rodriguez, who says he is just 
considering it but looks like a candidate already and has been hitting the news shows for the past couple of week to talk about how bad Salazar is. Did you hear him last week on Enrique Santos?
Rodriguez joins three other Democrats who have been campaigning for months: Environmental entrepreneur Richard Lamondin, Jan. 6 prosecutor Robin Peguero, and accountant Alexander Fornino.
There’s already a Republican trying to primary Salazar. Former federal prosecutor Vincent Michael Arias even has a website already.
And now we have Parnas, a real estate mogul-turned ex-con-turned congressional witness — he testified in 2024 about spreading misinformation and lies about Joe Biden — who lives in Florida with his wife and five children.
But last we checked, Parnas lives in Boca Raton — which, geographically speaking, is not exactly Little Havana-adjacent. Yeah, Ladra knows that residency requirements for congressional candidates only require you to live in the state, not the district. And 
maybe Florida is one big dysfunctional family anyway. But representative government should be, well, representative.
When Ladra reached him by phone, Parnas, who calls his Substack podcast “Lev Remembers,” would not commit.
“I can’t comment on it yet,” he told Political Cortadito Tuesday. “But everything is on the table.”
Not a yes. Not a no. More like a “we’ll see.” Ladra can’t wait for the campaign launch video.
Read related: Maria Elvira Salazar’s immigration epiphany: Is it just late or performative?
But, is he serious? That’s the million-dollar question. Or at least the $5,800 max contribution question. Because we could be looking at one of three things:
- A genuinely reformed political operative who believes he can unseat an unpopular incumbent in a heavily Cuban-American district by sheer force of narrative,
- A long-shot publicity candidacy designed to amplify his anti-Trump message, or
- Another covert political operation, A shiny, chaotic distraction candidate in what is already shaping up to be a crowded race
And then there’s the small detail that Parnas is a convicted felon. Which means he can’t even vote for himself.
In 2021, a federal jury found Parnas guilty on multiple campaign finance charges. Specifically conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions, making contributions in the name of another (a.k.a. using straw donors), and conspiring to defraud the United 
States. Prosecutors said Parnas and his associate, Igor Fruman, funneled foreign money into U.S. elections — including donations to political committees supporting candidates aligned with then-President Donald Trump. The feds argued the money was intended to buy political influence — including efforts to push for the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine while Parnas was working closely with Rudy Giuliani.
In 2022, Parnas was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, and served about a year before he was put on supervised release. Under Florida law, convicted felons who have not had their rights restored cannot vote. Meaning: if he files, campaigns, knocks on doors, debates, fundraises and prints yard signs — he won’t be able to cast a ballot in his own race.
It has shades of the 2020ff state senate race with a sham candidate who also lived in Boca Raton. Remember Alex Rodriguez? He was a plantidate put in the race to steal votes from incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez and pave the way for Ileana Garcia — and it worked.
Read related: Frank Artiles arrested for sham state senate election — but was he alone?
So could Lev Parnas become the Boca-based bomb thrower of FL-27? Sure.
He certainly knows how to generate headlines. He knows how to insert himself into a narrative. And he knows how to operate inside political chaos.
Whether voters in Little Havana, Brickell, Kendall and Coral Gables are looking for that particular skill set is another story.
One thing is certain: if Lev Parnas does jump in, this race just went from crowded to circus.
This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. Help shine a light on the darker corners of our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.
Ex-Trump man, ex-con Lev Parnas could jump into Congressional District 27 race added by Ladra on
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