The rapper who fought for free speech in the 90s now wants to fight for Florida’s forgotten communities
Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke from the legendary group 2 Live Crew, just made it official. He’s running for Congress. The 65-year-old hip-hop pioneer announced his decision on February 15, 2026, during an interview on WPLG Channel 10’s “This Week in South Florida.”
“I’m going to run for Congress in CD 20,” Campbell told host Glenna Milberg.
The District That Needs Help
Campbell is running for Florida’s 20th Congressional District. The district covers parts of Broward County and Palm Beach County, including Belle Glade, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Tamarac, Riviera Beach, and parts of Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. It also includes Little Haiti and the Glades communities.
This is the most Democratic district in all of Florida. But Campbell says the people who live there aren’t getting the representation they deserve.
“It is a very underserved community,” Campbell explained. “The representation of the district is not there.”
Before making his final decision, Campbell spent months visiting different neighborhoods in the district. He held community meetings. He talked to residents about their problems. He listened to what people actually needed.
What he heard broke his heart.
Real Problems That Need Real Solutions
Campbell discovered serious issues affecting everyday people in the district. In Riviera Beach, residents are worried about their water quality. Some people are quietly boiling their water at home because they don’t trust what comes out of their taps.
“They’re low key boiling their water because they’re trying to do the right things, and they just need good representation,” Campbell said.
The Glades communities are losing jobs. The sugar industry has been replacing workers with machines. Families who depended on those jobs are struggling.
Housing is a problem throughout the district. Schools need more funding. And for the district’s large Haitian population, there’s real fear about immigration policy. About 300,000 people in the district are affected by Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Trump administration has tried to end TPS protections, though federal courts have blocked those attempts so far.
Campbell says people just want someone who will actually listen to them and work on their behalf.
“People want to be able to engage with their congressperson,” he said.
From Coach to Candidate
To prepare for this race, Campbell made a big sacrifice. In January 2026, he resigned as head football coach at Miami Edison Senior High School. He had been coaching there since 2018.
When Campbell took over the Red Raiders program, the team only had eight players and had won just one game. He built it into a championship contender. He recruited players from as far away as California and Texas. His story as a coach was even turned into a docuseries produced by Deion Sanders’ team.
But Campbell knew he couldn’t do both jobs at once.
“I can’t coach and run at the same time because I’m going to be in a race with a whole bunch of people,” he explained.
That decision shows how serious he is about this campaign.
The Incumbent’s Troubles
The current representative for the district is Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. She’s a Democrat who was first elected in a January 2022 special election after Rep. Alcee Hastings died.
But Cherfilus-McCormick is facing serious legal problems. In November 2025, she was indicted on a 15-count federal indictment. Prosecutors say she stole $5 million in FEMA disaster fund overpayments and used some of that money for her 2022 campaign. She pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her arraignment is scheduled for March 2026.
A House investigative subcommittee released a report in January 2026. The report found substantial evidence supporting the allegations against her, plus evidence of additional misconduct.
Campbell hasn’t directly attacked the incumbent over her legal issues. Instead, he’s focused on what he sees as her failure to serve the community.
“If the congresswoman was doing her job, then I wouldn’t get in the race,” Campbell said simply.
A Crowded Primary Race
Campbell won’t be the only challenger in the Democratic primary, which is set for August 2026. Several other Democrats have already jumped into the race:
- Dale Holness, a former Broward County Commissioner
- Elijah Manley, a civic activist
- Dr. Rudolph (Rudy) Moise, a physician, attorney, and retired Air Force colonel who announced his candidacy the same day as Campbell
Dr. Moise released a statement saying he’s running because he’s seen healthcare inequities as a physician and understands leadership from his military service.
There are also two Republicans running: Rod Joseph and Sendra Dorce. But since this is the most Democratic district in Florida, the real battle will be in the Democratic primary.
There’s one more wrinkle. Florida Republicans are pushing for rare mid-decade redistricting. Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled legislature want to redraw the congressional district boundaries. That means the district Campbell and the other candidates are campaigning for might look completely different by election day.
More Than Just a Rapper
Campbell is best known as the leader of 2 Live Crew, the group that dominated Southern hip-hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He went by the name Luke Skyywalker back then, and later Uncle Luke. He created the blueprint for Southern hip-hop and produced music for countless artists.
But his legacy goes beyond music.
In 1990, a federal judge declared 2 Live Crew’s album “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” obscene. Campbell was arrested by Broward Sheriff Nick Navarro on obscenity charges after performing at a Hollywood club. A Broward County jury found him and his band members not guilty. The obscenity ruling was eventually overturned on appeal.
That legal battle became a landmark moment in First Amendment law. Campbell went from being just a rapper to being a free speech activist. The Supreme Court cases that followed established important precedents about parody and artistic expression.
Campbell has stayed involved in his community for decades. Besides coaching high school football for six years, he’s worked as a columnist and podcast host. He talks about political and community issues regularly. He’s promoted sports programs for underserved youth, especially in Miami-Dade County.
This isn’t even his first time running for office. In 2010 and 2012, he ran for Congress in a different district. He lost both times to Frederica Wilson, who still serves in the House. In 2011, he ran for Miami-Dade County mayor and finished fourth with nearly 11% of the vote. That campaign only spent $10,000.
A Different Kind of Campaign
Campbell says this time will be different. For one thing, he’s confident he’ll have plenty of money.
“I’m going to have a lot of money,” Campbell said. He plans to ask every Southern hip-hop artist he’s worked with to donate to his campaign. After decades in the music industry, that’s a lot of artists.
He’s also running a different kind of campaign than typical politicians. Campbell is open about his controversial past. He knows people remember his explicit lyrics and legal troubles.
“People will get into a race and strategists will say, ‘Write down the 10 things that you don’t want people to know about,'” Campbell said. “Well, the 10 things that I don’t want people to know about, everybody already knows about.”
But he thinks people also know about his community work. They know he’s been there for young people. They know he’s fought for what he believes in.
“People know my history. But then at the same time, people know the things that I’ve done in the community,” he said.
Campbell is running as a Democrat, but he emphasizes his ability to work with Republicans. He claims to have personal relationships with Republican leaders, including Senator Marco Rubio. He even says he has Rubio on speed dial.
“In this race, who’s going to be able to talk to Marco Rubio? Who’s going to be able to talk to Donald Trump?” Campbell asked. “Me. I’m the only one who can do that in this race.”
That’s a bold claim. But Campbell has spent decades building relationships across different worlds: hip-hop, sports, business, and politics. He positions himself as someone who can navigate the Trump administration while fighting for his constituents.
Why It Matters
Campbell’s campaign is already getting national attention. Media outlets are calling it one of the most watched races of the 2026 midterms. It’s a test case for celebrity candidates who have real community ties and a track record of service.
For Campbell, this is about more than politics. He calls it an evolution from his days fighting for free speech to now fighting for constituent services. He promises a fun, authentic campaign.
“Us Jamaicans, we normally have 12 different jobs,” Campbell joked, referring to his Jamaican heritage and his many roles over the years.
The general election is set for November 2026. But in a district this heavily Democratic, the August primary will likely decide the winner. Campbell and his opponents have about six months to convince voters they’re the right person for the job.
For a man who once fought all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to make the music he wanted, fighting for a congressional seat might seem easy by comparison. But Campbell knows it won’t be. He’s prepared to work for it.
He’s been preparing his whole life.
The race for Florida’s 20th Congressional District Democratic primary will be held in August 2026, with the general election following in November 2026.
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