Latino GOP Winner Raps Rival’s ‘American’ Claims

The Cuban-born Republican running to succeed the late Rep. Claude Pepper today called “ominous” the runoff victory of a Democrat who won on the theme that he is running for “an American seat.”

The winner, Gerald Richman, a 47-year-old lawyer, defeated Cuban-born Rosario Kennedy in an ethnically tense battle. He gathered much of his strength from a heavy majority of the diverse district’s white non-Latino voters in a 61% to 39% victory.

Richman moves on to an Aug. 29 special election against state Sen. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for the seat left vacant by Pepper’s death May 30 at age 88.

Ros-Lehtinen, a seven-year state legislator, flew to Washington on Tuesday and flew back to Miami late this morning aboard Air Force One with President Bush, who headed a list of speakers for a GOP fund-raising luncheon in her behalf.

“I think the victory sends an ominous message that there are some voters who respond to an ethnically divisive campaign,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

Kennedy, 44, in her concession speech, called on Richman “to stop this divisive campaign” and warned that an ethnic campaign could jeopardize Pepper’s seat for the Democrats.

Richman said he can defeat Ros-Lehtinen on issues such as abortion--she’s anti-abortion, he’s for abortion rights--and that he can unify the community.

“She is in the right-wing, extreme element of the Republican Party,” Richman said.

“We’re going to campaign by going to the people. This is a grass-roots campaign,” said Richman, who overcame Kennedy’s support by party leaders, the AFL-CIO and the Miami Herald.

“It is this community’s victory,” Richman said. “Now is the time for Democratic unity. . . . I cannot understand how being an American can possibly be divisive.”

He said he will represent “all the people,” not any one ethnic group.

Richman said his theme was meant to unify Miami and to rebut Republican national Chairman Lee Atwater’s statement that it is time to elect the first Cuban-American to Congress.