Seeking to Hurt Opponent, Diaz-Balart Pounces on Rangel Fundraiser

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, the Republican congressman from South Florida, is hoping his challenger’s upcoming fundraiser with Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) backfires.

Diaz-Balart, who relies on strong support from Cuban Americans, is trying to link his opponent, Joe Garcia, to Rangel and his support for looser sanctions on Cuba, according to the Miami Herald.

“[Rangel] has a long and well-known history of supporting a radical left-wing agenda including supporting higher taxes on working families and appeasing our nation’s enemies,” Diaz-Balart’s campaign said in a statement. “Left-wing birds of a feather, tax and spend together.”

Garcia, former chairman of the state commission that regulates the energy and telecommunications industries, said that Rangel can help him bring back federal money and jobs to his district.

”I’m not going to fall into the ridiculous red-baiting that my opponent does,” Garcia told the Herald.

Diaz-Balart and Garcia have raised about the same amount of money this year — $340,000 for the Republican and $330,000 for the Democrat — but Garcia has only been running since February.

Rangel, who is a “special guest” at Garcia’s April 21 fundraiser in New York City, has raised more $5 million this campaign cycle, the most of any House member, as Ian Swanson reported in The Hill last month.

UPDATE 4:30 P.M.: Garcia just sent an e-mail to supporters in which he says he’s “disappointed but not surprised” by Diaz-Balart’s attack.

“Diaz-Balart has based his career on intimidating his opponents and accusing them of being Castro-sympathizers,” Garcia said in the e-mail, which also asked for supporters’ donations. “He can’t pull that stunt on me. I’ve spent my entire life working for human rights in Cuba. When he was trying to find his legislative office in Tallahassee, I was already meeting world leaders and walking the halls of Congress on behalf of the Cuban people.”