Indicted Democrat Who Just Quit Congress Is Running for Re-election

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

Former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) just resigned a few days ago just ahead of an expulsion vote, but she’s still running for re-election, her campaign confirmed Friday.

Last month, the House Ethics Committee found that Cherfilus-McCormick was guilty of 25 out of 27 counts of embezzling funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that were intended for Covid-19 vaccination programs. She had been accused of improperly funneling $5 million through a health care company she and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, ran, using the money for her personal use and for her congressional campaign.

The siblings were indicted by the Department of Justice in November for their scheme. Cherfilus-McCormick was charged with fifteen charges including theft, money laundering, illegal campaign contributions, and filing a false tax return. She faces up to 53 years in prison, according to a DOJ press release.

Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing, pleading not guilty to the federal charges against her and maintaining that the House Ethics Committee’s hearing was “not a fair process” and a “witch hunt.” Nonetheless, she announced Tuesday that she was resigningfrom Congress. Had she not resigned, multiple members had called for an expulsion vote that was expected to succeed.

Less than half an hour after Cherfilus-McCormick posted her resignation on social media, the Florida Democratic Party issued a statement from Chair Nikki Fried, noting that the congresswoman had just “resigned from the House of Representatives after being indicted on fraud charges involving the misuse of COVID-19 funds” and declaring that “corruption has no place in Congress.”

So, to recap: Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress, probably would have been expelled if she hadn’t, is still facing multiple federal charges, and her own party denounced her “corruption.” Not a great campaign platform.

And yet, she still plans on running for re-election, NOTUS political reporter Kadia Goba reported, filing her campaign paperwork just four days before she resigned.

A campaign aide for the embattled ex-congresswoman “confirmed to NOTUS she is running — as a Democrat,” wrote Goba, describing her as “plan[ning] to defiantly run for reelection.”

The Florida Division of Elections website shows Cherfilus-McCormick’s paperwork was filed on April 17, as Goba reported.

Also running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 20th congressional district: Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell (from the 1990s rap group 2 Live Crew), Mark Douglas, Maisha Williams, Dale Holness, and Elijah Manley.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!