SCOOP: Gimenez launches bid for House Homeland chair

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) has formally launched a bid to become chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, according to a letter of intent obtained by POLITICO. Gimenez’s office confirmed that he has notified the Steering Committee of his intention to run.

“The reason why he’s served for 25 years and hasn’t lost an election is because he’s a straight shooter, people trust him,” a Gimenez spokesperson told Blue Light News of Gimenez’s career in public office.

The Florida Republican enters the race for the gavel as the current chair, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), prepares to step down. Green announced last month that he’ll resign from Congress for a private-sector job once the chamber passes the megabill.

Gimenez argued in the letter, sent on Tuesday, that his background holding a series of offices in Florida positions him as the top choice to take over the powerful perch. “These roles were not theoretical, they were boots-on-the-ground, real world experiences,” he wrote. Gimenez, a Cuban immigrant, has toured ICE detention centers across South Florida in recent weeks and touted the investment in enforcement for DHS that the megabill would provide.