Today, I'm joining Joe Garcia's congressional campaign in FL-25 (South Florida). I'm jumping on-board because Joe is exactly the type of candidate we need to create a Democratic wave in 2008. His campaign rejects the usual assumptions: that only Republicans can represent Cuban-Americans, that the entrenched South Florida, Cuban-Republican machine can't be beat, that since Joe's opponent drew his own congressional district, he is somehow untouchable. These traditional arguments are garbage and it's about time we have a candidate that challenges them.

I met Joe while he was directing NDN's Hispanic Strategy Center. Joe was also previously the executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF), the most prominent Cuban-American political organization in the country. He understands Cuban-Americans, the effect of current federal policy on Cuban-American families, and the real needs of average South Floridians – health care, the environment, and the economy.

A Garcia win would have a huge spill-over effect: it would break the traditional Republican stronghold of Cuban-American voters; it would provide a huge boost to the Democratic presidential ticket in Florida; and it would give Democrats something they badly need in Washington – a Democratic, Cuban-American surrogate leading South Florida.

Garcia's campaign is bottom-up, supported by droves of South Floridians who are sick of the way Washington is run. And these supporters, through Joe Garcia's campaign, are going to force real change. While the campaign is only a few weeks old, it has already attracted 750 donors – more than three times what the incumbent Republican representative has received in any fundraising quarter over the past two cycles.

We are hoping to carry this momentum through to the end of quarter – March 31st. In the next two weeks, we need 250 new donors to reach 1,000 donors and send a strong message across South Florida and the country. Please help, if you can:

www.joegarcia08.com

Garcia's positions are right on the mark: he demands the return of our troops from Iraq, rejects retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies, and wants to aggresively protect the everglades and confront climate change. His ideas are driven by conviction, not politics, and he would be a welcome change for Miami, Washington, and this country.

Joe's campaign is committed to including the netroots in this campaign. We will be updating this community regularly, and will count on your suggestions, donations, and participation. Thanks.

www.joegarcia08.com