She served as the first Hispanic female Deputy Press Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump. Garcia founded the group Latinas for Trump and in 2016 was the Trump campaign's communications Director for Latino outreach.
2020 Florida Senate election fraud investigation
In June 2020, Garcia filed to run against incumbent Democrat José Javier Rodríguez in Florida's 37th State Senate District. She was endorsed by Republican state senate President-Designate Wilton Simpson and Republican Majority Leader Kathleen Passidomo.[2] On the first count, Garcia beat Rodríguez by a narrow margin of 31 votes; the lead increased to 34 after a recount.[4][5]
Garcia's election 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. Alex Rodríguez received 6,382 votes,[6] and it was widely acknowledged that his candidacy was decisive in the outcome of the election.[7]
On March 17, 2021, former Republican State Senator Frank 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.[8] His house at Palmetto Bay was searched, and he surrendered the next day to the Miami-Dade County Jail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileana_Garcia
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