Roly Arrojo is running for a seat in the U.S. House representing District 25, but questions about his Tea Party affiliation surfaced this week. He faces Democrat Joe Garcia and Republican David Rivera in November.
The Florida Division of Elections lists Arrojo as a Tea Party candidate, but Doug Guetzloe, a Florida Tea Party spokesmen, tells The Florida Independent, “We’ve tried to reach out to him, but he’s never gotten in touch with us.”
The Miami Herald wrote:
[Arrojo] has no campaign website yet. He has not reported raising a dime from any apparent donors. And his Tea Party affiliation is news to Tea Party activists in Florida who say they’ve never heard of him.But Roly Arrojo says he’s serious about his run for the 25th Congressional District. And he says he’s absolutely not a ringer in the race that features heavyweights state Rep. David Rivera, a Republican, and Joe Garcia, a Democrat — despite ties to Garcia’s campaign manager.
In a review of public records, The Herald found Arrojo and Jeffrey Garcia, Joe Garcia’s campaign manager, listed as managing members of Project Mercury, a Miami Beach-based real estate management and procurement company registered in Florida in 2005. Jeffrey Garcia, who is not related to his boss, resigned from Project Mercury.
Calls to both Arrojo and Garcia’s campaign were not returned.
More from the Herald:
“I joined the Tea Party because I think both major parties are full of it,” [Arrojo] wrote. “I am frustrated like others that both sides are bought and paid for by special interests. Anything is better.”
Arrojo added that he was not recruited by and does not have the backing of the Florida Tea Party.
“I am not interested in being part of a political machine,” he said.
