May 15, 2019, 9:59 a.m.
Restauranteur Irina Vilariño (R) "has a long history of touting conspiracy theories — including a video that’s deceptively edited to make it sound as if President Obama said he wasn’t born in the United States."
"Vilariño is a fierce supporter of President Trump, and her Twitter profile is packed with conspiratorial content that may not play well in the swing district. In March, Vilariño retweeted a video that is edited to make it sound like President Obama says he was born in Kenya. ... In other recent tweets, she touted conservative provocateur Dinesh D’Souza’s suggestion that Obama cheated to get into Columbia University ('inquiring minds would like to know,' she said), highlighted a claim that liberal donor George Soros was behind an effort to torpedo Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation (“follow the money”), and promoted an unfounded claim that Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, was a promiscuous alcoholic."
Vilariño, when asked about the posts: “I don’t think any of these tweets warrant an apology, and I am not going to fearfully pander every time someone thinks they might be offended." (Talking Points Memo)
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) beat former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R) in 2018 in the race for the Miami-area congressional seat. Curbelo was a GOP moderate who often broke with President Trump.