Former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) is attempting to reclaim her congressional seat following her resignation earlier this year amid an indictment for allegedly stealing federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and using the money to support her 2021 campaign.

The Florida Democrat faced a House Ethics panel finding her guilty of 25 ethics violations related to these allegations. Now, Cherfilus-McCormick is one of five Democrats seeking the party’s nomination in the realigned Broward County 20th Congressional District during the August 18 primary.

This district is overwhelmingly Democratic—President Donald Trump finished 39 points behind Kamala Harris in the 2024 election—meaning the primary winner will almost certainly win November’s general election.

Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from the House in April after a bipartisan adjudicatory subcommittee confirmed she committed 25 ethics violations and faces federal criminal charges. On the campaign trail, she has repeatedly asserted that she has done nothing wrong, claiming voters are instead victims of politically motivated investigations—a description echoing former President Donald Trump’s claims about his own conduct prior to securing re-election in 2024.

She has suggested political motives tie both her yearslong congressional investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice’s indictment against her. “In the United States there is a presumption of innocence, especially when we see weaponization of the DOJ, not just from one party, from both sides in a political climate,” Cherfilus-McCormick stated to a media outlet in July.

“And I say this over and over again, we have to go back to actually what our Constitution says and we have to go back to the reality of it because these political politics always try to tear people down during these moments when our district is under attack,” she added. “If we turn a blind eye to political weaponization and injustice, then we are a part of it.”

Cherfilus-McCormick paid a $10,440 fee to qualify for the 20th Congressional District primary. The competitive race includes Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). Her entry complicates efforts by Black candidates in the district to unite behind a single candidate. Progressive activist Elijah Manning has already qualified for the race, while former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness submitted petitions to skip the filing fee and complete his paperwork. Cherfilus-McCormick remains listed as the incumbent on Florida’s Division of Elections website but resigned from Congress in April during a House Ethics investigation.