Frederica Wilson-endorsed candidate wins race to fill her South Florida seat

Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald on Aug 18, 2026

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MIAMI — In a crowded Democratic race, Miami-Dade commissioner Oliver Gilbert emerged victorious in succeeding longtime Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, edging out opponents Florida State Sen. Shevrin Jones and late Congresswoman Carrie Meek’s grandson, Kendrick Meek Jr.

Jones conceded to Gilbert after narrowly losing by about 2 percentage points.. “This campaign was never about me or any one person – it was about the future we want to build together, and that fight doesn’t end tonight,” Jones said in a concession speech.

While he faces a Republican opponent in Te Mayonna Brown, Gilbert is poised to be the next Congressman as the district has been a Democratic stronghold since its creation in 1993. Gilbert earned Wilson’s endorsement early on and ran off of the strength of his ties to Miami Gardens.

Gilbert will represent a historically Black congressional district created in 1992 after Black Democrats aligned with white Republican legislators to convince a federal court to create three congressional districts to elect the state’s first Black members of Congress since 1876.

The 1992 redrawn map resulted in three Black Democrats being elected to Congress at that time: Corrine Brown in Jacksonville, Alcee Hastings in Broward County and Carrie Meek in Miami-Dade County, and gave those communities minority representation at the federal level for the first time in history.

Meek, who served in the Florida legislature, held the seat until 2003. Her son, Kendrick Meek ran for her seat and served from 2003 to 2011, and Wilson succeeded him after his failed bid for the U.S. Senate.

The primary race comes months after the Florida legislature voted to redraw congressional lines that added Black voters to District 24 while nearby District 20, a historically Black voting district, saw an increase in white neighborhoods. Wilson had waited to announce her decision to not run for reelection after redistricting for fear of what might happen to the district, she told the Herald.

Gilbert fought through a field that also included physician Rudolph Moise; former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime; attorney Rod Vereen; and longtime director of the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center Marshall Davis.

Much of Gilbert’s campaign was plagued by criticisms levied by opponent Meek Jr., who consistently criticized Gilbert for receiving campaign dollars from CDR, a contractor tied to Alligator Alcatraz, who donated to his political committee Common Voices. Gilbert has criticized Meek for using his father’s D.C. connections to back attack ads that tied against him.

Gilbert will represent a district is home to 830,040 residents with a largely Black and Latino population with a large immigrant population, according to the 2024 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census.

Gilbert’s political rise began in 2008 when he was appointed to the Miami Gardens City Council before successfully running for the city’s mayor in 2012. He is often credited for the city’s economic growth and development, with residents touting his ability to bring much needed businesses to the area.

The general election is Nov. 3.