Brutus In The News

Race to Replace Meek Could Produce First Haitian U.S. Rep.

Phillip Brutus, candidate for congress, in the news MIAMI BEACH, Fla., June 3, 2009..........After an election year that produced the first African-American president, a South Florida congressional seat that will be vacant in the next cycle could see yet another barrier broken.

With U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek vacating his seat in a district with a large bloc of Haitian-American voters to run for the U.S. Senate, the race to replace him has drawn several candidates, including a few who are Haitian themselves, including state Rep. Yolly Roberson and former Rep. Phillip Brutus.

A third Haitian-American, Rep. Ronald Brise, has been mentioned as a potential candidate as well. The trio would be joined in the race by a crowded field that also includes Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami. The race is also expected to be joined by two members of the Miami Gardens City Council - Mayor Shirley Gibson and Commissioner Andre Williams.

In His Own Words: Former Rep. Phillip Brutus on Race For Congress

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., June 3, 2009..........With the entire Democratic Party establishment gathered in Miami Beach over the weekend to celebrate helping break one glass-ceiling by electing President Barack Obama and beginning the push to break another by making Alex Sink Florida's first female governor, the News Service ventured to North Miami Beach for an one-on-one discussion with former Rep. Phillip Brutus, who would like to crack a third barrier.

Brutus, who served in the state House from 2000 to 2006, is vying to become the first Haitian-American member of Congress in 2010. In a May 30 one-on-one interview with the News Service, he talked ethnic politics, family life and the likelihood the two could become intertwined in a race that will also include his ex-wife, current Rep. Yolly Roberson, D-Miami. He also discussed Caribbean-U.S. relations and the realities of campaign fundraising. Here's his take, in his unfiltered words: