The Worst Congressional Comeback Attempt Ever?

[DonViejo]

Former Rep. David Rivera lost his House primary in Florida Tuesday after a campaign as unusual as the rest of his career.

BY JACK FITZPATRICK AND ADAM WOLLNER

August 27, 2014 When David Rivera first ran for the Florida state House in 2002, police reports allege that he intentionally ran his car into a truck that was delivering his opponent's flyers, which attacked Rivera's character. His explanation for ramming the truck off the busy Palmetto Expressway in Miami, minutes before that day's post office deadline? Rivera claimed he wanted to retrieve his own flyers, which he said were also on the truck.

In the 12 years since, Rivera's story has only gotten more bizarre.

Rivera, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2013, officially lost his hapless comeback bid Tuesday, falling short in the Republican primary election in Florida's 26th District. Miami-Dade County School Board member Carlos Curbelo won the nomination with about half of the primary vote, more than five times what Rivera got (in fourth place) after another roller coaster of a campaign.

It may have been the worst congressional comeback attempt of all time. Rivera lost the nomination, but he dominated the headlines. Throughout the race, he faced questions about his role in an alleged 2012 campaign finance scheme, sparred with the media, and even briefly suspended his campaign for unclear reasons—only to restart it just two weeks before the election. (Also, Rivera may have been campaigning during the "suspension.&quot

The latest chapter in Rivera's saga started in 2012, when The Miami Herald reported that, according to campaign vendors, Rivera had funded a Democratic candidate's campaign, hoping that political newcomer Justin Lamar Sternad would beat Democrat Joe Garcia in the primary and then lose to Rivera in the general election. According to The Herald's sources, Rivera organized and helped fund a sophisticated mail campaign for Sternad against Garcia—who won the Democratic primary and then beat Rivera in 2012 as the allegations troubled the Republican's campaign. Rivera had faced scrutiny (and narrowly avoided criminal charges) for misusing campaign funds earlier in his congressional term, but the "straw campaign" revelations brought his House career crashing down.

more
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/the-worst-congressional-comeback-attempt-ever-20140827

[underpants]

1. Well that got out of control in a hurry