Republican Congressional Candidate in Florida Would Not Build Border Wall

A Republican Candidate for U.S. Congress in Florida’s 23rd Congressional district did not agree with President Donald J. Trump’s plan to build a wall at the Southern border in 2016.

“[A] wall will not solve the immigration problem. Period,” said Carla Spalding when asked if she would support building a wall. “If we’re going to spend $25 billion, employ our own people to the Border Patrol. Increase that. I think that would make more sense. That would people income into our own people, instead of just a wall.”

Spalding, a registered nurse, came in third, running as an independent for Florida’s 18th Congressional district in 2016.

“First of all, I am an immigrant,” she said. “I can tell you this – that it takes anywhere up to as much as 15 years to come to this country legally. So first if we can start off with actually fixing that problem – the application problem within our own country – that will help eliminate.”

Spalding has since changed her party affiliation and taken a more pro-Trump stance. However, she supported Marco Rubio in 2016, even donating to his campaign.

Big League Politics reported:

A candidate for U.S. Congress from the Sunshine State who has advertised herself as pro-Trump is hot water after new information has surfaced that contradicts her public statements.

“Registered nurse Carla Spalding is a candidate for US Congress, Florida District 23, which takes up much of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties,” according to Hype.  “In 2016, Spalding ran as an Independent in a different Congressional race, in Palm Beach County, where she currently has a residence. Today, she is renting an apartment in Broward County to give off the impression that she lives in the district.”

It is unclear when Spalding changed her political party affiliation, but after pitching herself as a Trump supporter from the beginning, political contribution records actually show that she is a Marco Rubio donor:

Rubio was the only presidential candidate to which Spalding donated during the 2016 cycle.

BLP Passage Ends. 

On August 28, Spalding will face off with two primary opponents, attorney Carlos Reyes and writer Joe Kaufman. The winner of the primary will take on incumbent Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL).

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