Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is out of a job, but she is already asking for it back. Just days after resigning her seat in Florida’s 20th Congressional District to avoid a near-certain expulsion vote, the former Representative’s campaign confirmed Friday that she is staying in the race for her own successor.
The move comes after a blistering report from the House Ethics Committee, which found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of 25 out of 27 counts related to the embezzlement of $5 million in FEMA funds.
Those dollars were originally earmarked for COVID-19 vaccination programs but were instead allegedly funneled through a healthcare company operated by the congresswoman and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus. Federal investigators say the money was used for personal expenses and to bankroll her previous congressional campaign.
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In November, the Department of Justice stepped in, hitting the siblings with a multi-count indictment. Cherfilus-McCormick faces fifteen charges, ranging from money laundering and theft to filing a false tax return. If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum of 53 years in prison.
Despite the looming legal threat, she has maintained her innocence, pleading not guilty and dismissing the House Ethics investigation as a “witch hunt” and “not a fair process.”
Her resignation didn’t stop the bleeding from within her own ranks. Minutes after she stepped down, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried released a blunt statement: “Corruption has no place in Congress.” Fried noted that the congresswoman’s departure was the direct result of “indictments on fraud charges involving the misuse of COVID-19 funds.”
The timing of her re-election bid is notable. Records from the Florida Division of Elections show that Cherfilus-McCormick filed her paperwork on April 17, just four days before she officially quit.
A campaign aide later confirmed to NOTUS reporter Kadia Goba that she intends to “defiantly run” as a Democrat.
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The path back to Washington will not be a lonely one. The Democratic primary for the 20th district is already crowded with candidates, including former Miramar Mayor Dale Holness, Elijah Manley, Mark Douglas, Maisha Williams, and Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell of the 1990s rap group 2 Live Crew.
While Cherfilus-McCormick fights a legal battle that could land her in federal prison, she will now simultaneously fight to convince voters to send her back to the very seat she just vacated.
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