Campaign Lev Parnas jumps into Florida House race as Democrat by Sarah Davis - 03/06/26 3:21 PM ET by Sarah Davis - 03/06/26 3:21 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Lev Parnas, a former Rudy Giuliani associate and ally of President Trump, announced this week he’s running as a Democrat in a House race in Florida. Parnas launched his candidacy for GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s seat in a Substack post on Wednesday.  “I am running because I know the system, Donald Trump’s system, from the inside. Because remember, I helped build MAGA,” Parnas said in a video accompanying the post.  He was convicted and sentenced to 20 months in prison for violating campaign finance rules in 2019 for funneling Russian donations into U.S. political campaigns.   Parnas, who was born in Ukraine and is a naturalized American citizen, also helped Trump and Giuliani in their search for damaging information in Ukraine about former President Biden’s son Hunter Biden.  Parnas has become an outspoken critic of the Trump administration in recent years, publishing a book about his time in the president’s orbit and condemning many of the second administration’s policies in posts on his Substack page.  In his announcement on Wednesday, Parnas cited his immigrant background, saying he “grew up understanding that freedom, democracy, and opportunity are not guaranteed — they must be protected.” “Over the past several years, I have seen firsthand what happens when corruption, extremism, and political cowardice take hold of our government,” he continued. “And I refuse to sit on the sidelines any longer.” Parnas will go up against Salazar in November to compete for Florida’s 27th District, which encompasses the entirety of Miami-Dade County.  The three-term congresswoman is considered a more moderate Republican in the House, siding with Democrats on ObamaCare subsidies and criticizing some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies . “Florida’s 27th District deserves leadership that is honest, fearless, and willing to stand up for the people — not special interests, not political games, and not authoritarian politics,” Parnas wrote. “We need leaders who will defend democracy, protect families, support immigrants who built this country, and stand up for freedom here at home and abroad.” Add as preferred source on Google Tags Donald Trump Hunter Biden Joe Biden Lev Parnas Maria Elvira Salazar Rudy Giuliani Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Campaign News See All Administration Donald Trump Jr. boosts Paxton’s SAVE America Act push by Sarah Davis 4 hours ago Administration  /  4 hours ago