Raquel Regalado Running For Congress

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Former Miami-Dade School Board Member and attorney Raquel Regalado is running for Congress.

Regalado is the daughter of longtime Miami mayor Tomas Regalado.

She is seeking to represent Florida's 27th Congressional District, a seat being vacated in 2018 by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who has served in Congress since 1989.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, Regalado wrote, "We cannot afford to live in South Florida. Before we get to any other issue, we need better paying jobs, we need to grow and diversify our economy and support our local business. We cannot afford to buy a home in South Florida. We cannot afford to live here or to raise our children here, let alone hope that one-day that they and their children will call South Florida home."

The statement went on, "We need educated, intelligent, reasonable, articulate and thoughtful people in Congress. People that will listen to you put partisan rhetoric aside and represent our communities' interests. People that will ensure that our voices are heard and that things get done in Washington." Regalado ended by stating "I have been and will continue to be Your Voice."

Regalado will face Bruno Barreiro, who has already announced his campaign.

Regalado is a mother of two who left the Miami-Dade School Board in 2016 to run for Mayor of Miami-Dade County but lost to Carlos Giminez.