Curbelo kicks off 2016 campaign with no Demo challenger in sight

Republican Carlos Curbelo has formally kicked off his 2016 reelection campaign. When he challenged Joe Garcia in 2014, Curbelo raised between five million and $10 million. Now as the incumbent, do you think there’s a Democrat out there who can raise that kind of dough? Doubt it…

There are already last names like Bush and Diaz-Balart showing up in the Curbelo donors’ list for next year’s campaign.

Curbelo comes from a long list of bench players that Republicans seem to always have ready to challenge open seats, or when one of their own loses a seat. The fact is that the Republican minor leagues, if I may call them that, are better stocked and always ready. Democrats on the other hand feel lucky when they win a race a la Joe Garcia in 2012, when he ousted David Rivera from his CD 26 seat.

You would think that playing tit for tat, Democrats would have someone ready to challenge Curbelo in 2016 when he will be most vulnerable and there will be an important presidential election.

But who might that person be?

Like I said, Demos lack minor leaguers to succeed their first team politicians. Men and women ready to pick up the slack where others, like Garcia, may have faltered. Republicans seem always ready, Democrats aren’t.

No wonder humorist Will Rogers once said that he was “not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”