Former Hurricanes, Dolphins Star Randal Hill Running For Congress
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Randal Hill has been a public figure in South Florida for the better part of three decades.
He was a star receiver for the Miami Hurricanes before being drafted into the NFL by the Miami Dolphins.
After playing for three different teams during his seven-year NFL career, Hill returned to South Florida to start a career in law enforcement.
15 years later, Hill is giving up his badge in order to pursue something that will allow him to serve even more people in his beloved home state.
Hill has decided to run for Congress, challenging Congresswoman Frederica Wilson in the 2016 Democratic primary.
The 45-year-old Hill presents himself as a fresh face for the seat, with experience that will allow him to better serve South Florida residents than the incumbent.
"I can effect change. I have some great ideas that can help the district," Hill told the Sun-Sentinel. "I love the odds. I love the challenge. I don't like losing. Second place is the first loser so I never brag about it. I've done my due diligence properly assessing the landscape, and I would not jump into something if I did not know I was going to win."
Hill isn't afraid of going after the 72-year-old Wilson, saying that she has accomplished nothing since being elected in 2010 and that his time serving the residents of South Florida as a police officer, sheriff's deputy and federal homeland security agent "far exceeds" anything that his opponent has done.
Wilson does have a strong relationship with the people of Miami-Dade County and will likely be the favorite to win the seat.
The Miami-Dade/Broward district is almost entirely Democratic, with Republicans accounting for only 10 percent of registered voters. That means the winner of the primary in August of next year will ultimately win the Congressional seat in the November election.
Though he will enter the race as an underdog, the long-term effects of running a good campaign could set Hill up to win the seat in the coming years, after Wilson retires, if he doesn't come out on top in 2016.
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