Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) will announce his retirement at a press conference this afternoon.
Diaz-Balart has represented his Miami-based district in the House for 18 years. His retirement brings the number of House Republicans who will not seek reelection in 2010 to 18. Most of those 18 serve solidly red districts, but Diaz-Balart’s could be competitive.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)–brother of Lincoln–serves a neighboring, though less safe district and some reports suggest that Mario might run for Lincoln’s seat. That would leave two contestable House seats vacant as the November elections approach.
A Republican source tells TPMDC that state Rep. David Rivera (R-FL), who is currently running for a local state Senate seat, could in turn switch races and run for Mario’s House seat, as Mario switches into Lincoln’s district.
Additional reporting by Eric Kleefeld
