Former Jan. 6 committee lawyer running for Congress in Trump district

Robin Peguero, who served as investigative counsel for the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, is launching a bid to unseat Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) in Florida. 

“It’s time for us to write a new story for South Florida — one where hard-working families stop being forced to choose between making rent or seeing a doctor, where small businesses have access to resources and tax relief, and where we no longer get squeezed by corporations and billionaires while politicians like María Elvira Salazar do their bidding,” Peguero said in a statement on Tuesday announcing his candidacy. 

“Miami deserves a representative in the House who fights for them. That’s the leader I’ll be.”

Peguero was raised by a mother from Ecuador and a father from the Dominican Republic, and he has a background in law and politics. He spent time working for former Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and was also a former Miami-Dade homicide prosecutor. 

He’s currently a professor at St. Thomas University College of Law teaching criminal law. 

Peguero is the latest Democrat to enter the race to take on the Florida Republican. Former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey, accountant Alex Fornino and businessman Richard Lamondin have also launched bids on the Democratic side to take on Salazar. 

The Florida Republican handily won her last election in November against Democrat Lucia Baez-Geller by more than 20 points. President Trump won the district last year by close to 15 points, according to The Downballot.

The Hill has reached out to Salazar’s campaign for comment.