Alex Rodriguez (Florida)
float:right; border:1px solid #FFB81F; background-color: white; width: 250px; font-size: .9em; margin-bottom:0px;
} .infobox p { margin-bottom: 0; } .widget-row { display: inline-block; width: 100%; margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; } .widget-row.heading { font-size: 1.2em; } .widget-row.value-only { text-align: center; background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.value-only.white { background-color: #f9f9f9; } .widget-row.value-only.black { background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; } .widget-row.Democratic { background-color: #003388; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Republican { background-color: red; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Libertarian { background-color: #f9d334; color: black; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Green { background-color: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-key { width: 43%; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; } .widget-value { width: 57%; float: right; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; word-wrap: break-word; } .widget-img { width: 150px; display: block; margin: auto; } .clearfix { clear: both; }
Alex Rodriguez (No Party Affiliation) ran for election to the Florida State Senate to represent District 37. Rodriguez lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
On August 24, 2021, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to two charges of campaign finance crimes and agreed to participate in the investigation against former state Sen. Frank Artiles (R), who prosecutors alleged paid Rodriguez to run in a 2020 state senate race because he shared the same last name as the incumbent. Read more about the case below.
Elections
2020
See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Florida State Senate District 37
Ileana Garcia defeated incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez and Alex Rodriguez in the general election for Florida State Senate District 37 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ileana Garcia (R) | 48.5 | 104,630 |
 | Jose Javier Rodriguez (D) | 48.5 | 104,598 | |
 | Alex Rodriguez (No Party Affiliation) | 3.0 | 6,382 | |
| Total votes: 215,610 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida State Senate District 37.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Hepburn (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Ileana Garcia advanced from the Republican primary for Florida State Senate District 37.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Erik Fresen (R)
- Raquel Regalado (R)
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Alex Rodriguez did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Guilty plea in campaign finance case (August 2021)
On August 24, 2021, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to two charges of campaign finance crimes and agreed to participate in the investigation against former state Sen. Frank Artiles (R), who prosecutors alleged paid Rodriguez to run in a state senate race because he shared the same last name as the incumbent. As a result of the plea deal, Rodriguez was sentenced to three years probation, including one year of house arrest with a GPS monitor. Rodriguez was barred from working for any political campaigns during his probation and required to cooperate with prosecutors in Artiles' case.[1]
On October 27, 2021, Rodriguez agreed with the Florida Commission on Ethics to pay a $20,000 fine for accepting money "from an individual based on the understanding he would change his party affiliation [and qualify] to run" in the 2020 Senate District 37 race and filing a false financial disclosure form.[2] Rodriguez previously agreed to pay a $6,500 fine in July 2021, but the proposal was rejected by the commission in pursuit of a harsher punishment.[3][4]
Rodriguez was arrested on March 18, 2021, and charged with three third-degree felony campaign finance crimes: one count of false swearing in connection with voting or elections, one count of making or receiving campaign contributions over or in excess of limits, and one count of conspiracy to make or receive two or more campaign contributions over or in excess of limits. The charges stemmed from the Senate District 37 election in 2020, when investigators alleged that Artiles offered to pay Rodriguez $50,000 (half before and half after the election) to enter the race because Rodriguez shared the same last name as incumbent Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez (D). Ileana Garcia (R) defeated Jose Rodriguez by 32 votes in the general election, while Alex Rodriguez received 6,000 votes.[5] Artiles was also arrested and charged with the three crimes.
Following his arrest, Alex Rodriguez's lawyer said, "Frank Artiles and his co-conspirators knew they couldn't beat Jose Javier Rodriguez in a fair election so they rigged it. Artiles cynically targeted and used a vulnerable 'friend' with a great name to run in the race in order to confuse voters and steal the election. Alex Rodriguez deeply regrets allowing himself to be used in this way and hopes that by coming forth with the truth he can help to right these wrongs."[6]
On April 8, 2021, Rodriguez was charged with an additional third-degree felony for allegedly submitting false voter information saying he lived in Palmetto Bay even though he lived in Boca Raton.[7] He pleaded not guilty to all charges on April 16, 2021.[8]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Miami Herald, "No-party candidate in Miami election fraud case takes plea deal, apologizes to voters," August 24, 2021
- ↑ The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Florida Senate 'ghost' candidate Alex Rodriguez faces $20,000 ethics fine," October 27, 2021
- ↑ NBC Miami, "Candidate in State Senate Race Fined as Case Works Through Criminal Court," June 7, 2021
- ↑ NBC Miami, "Ethics Commission Rejects Agreement With ‘Sham' Candidate, Looks for Stiffer Penalty," July 27, 2021
- ↑ Local10, "Ex-Florida Sen. Frank Artiles walks out of jail facing felony campaign finance charges," March 18, 2021
- ↑ CNN, "Former Florida state senator charged in spoiler candidate scheme," March 18, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Former senator Artiles, no-party candidate face new charges in spoiler election scheme," April 8, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Artiles, Rodriguez plead not guilty on charges related to no-party candidate scheme," April 16, 2021
