Another small town mayor is set to announce a presidential run. Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar, Fla., will hedge his bet against some of the Democrats’ biggest names in the field.
Messam, 44, who launched an exploratory committee this month after he cruised to re-election, will announce his presidential campaign in Miami, Fla., this weekend.
“On Saturday, March 30, first-generation American, national college football champion, successful climate-conscious business owner and two-term South Florida Mayor Wayne Messam will make an announcement that will impact the race for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States,” a statement from Messam’s exploratory committee said.
According to his campaign, the former 1993 Florida State University national football champion will make his announcement at Florida Memorial University, the only historically black college and university in his native South Florida.
After college, Messam became involved in social projects throughout South Florida. He was elected to various commissioner positions throughout the Miramar city government and Broward County government. He became the lead of an environmentally friendly infrastructure project organization, Asset Builders, and was elected president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.
Messam will be looking to capitalize on the clout surrounding unconventional candidates in his party. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, another mayor seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, has gained enough national traction to qualify him for the first Democratic presidential debate.
