Ileana Garcia seeks reelection to state Senate District 36

Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia is seeking reelection to Florida Senate District 36 in the Nov. 3 general election.

Garcia has held the District 36 seat since 2020, according to BallotReady. She faces Democratic challenger George Lavin. The Miami Beach Review has also profiled Lavin.

On her campaign website, Garcia says she is a first-generation Cuban American whose mother and grandmother arrived in 1957 in the district she represents. She describes herself as a single mom who raised her son.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Office sought: Florida State Senate, District 36
Residence: Born in Miami, according to the Florida Senate website; raised in Allapattah, according to her campaign website
Education: Miami Senior High School, 1987, according to the Florida Senate website
Religion: Christian, according to the Florida Senate website

Experience and public service

Garcia has served as senator for District 36 since 2020, according to BallotReady. She chairs the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice and serves as vice chair of the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee, according to her campaign website.

Before entering the Senate, Garcia worked as a Hispanic American radio and TV personality in South Florida for more than 20 years, according to the Florida Senate website. She also served as deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, according to BallotReady.

Garcia founded Latinas for Trump and served as communications director for Latino outreach on the Trump campaign in 2016, according to her public biography. She has also served on the board of directors of the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking, according to the same biography.

On the issues

Garcia outlines several legislative priorities on her campaign website. All positions below are stated by the candidate on her campaign website.

Environment: Garcia says she passed HB 1177 and secured $20 million for preserving Biscayne Bay. She says she led efforts to pass bills to clean up the bay, improve water quality and boating safety.

Infrastructure: Garcia says she secured more than $100 million in state funding for infrastructure, including $5 million for infrastructure and road construction and $3 million for the Miami-Dade Underline Multi-Use/Multimodal Corridor.

Healthcare: Garcia says she passed the No Patient Left Alone Act to ensure no one is left alone in a hospital.

Taxes: Garcia says she has opposed all efforts to raise taxes.

Domestic violence: Garcia says she passed SB 68 and SB 70 to address domestic violence.