From 2 Live Crew to Capitol Hill: Uncle Luke Officially Launches Bid for Congress
Hip-hop legend and community pillar Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell has officially thrown his hat into the ring for Florida’s 20th Congressional District. The announcement, made Sunday on This Week in South Florida, came from the man who once fought for free speech in the Supreme Court and is now fighting for a seat in the House of Representatives.
Campbell, 63, is looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, framing his campaign not as a celebrity vanity project, but as a necessary intervention for a district he describes as “underserved.”
For decades, Campbell has been a fixture in South Florida, evolving from the raucous frontman of 2 Live Crew to a dedicated youth mentor and high school football coach. Now, he says it’s time to take that advocacy to Washington.
“I looked at the race and I said if the congresswoman was doing her job, then I wouldn’t get in a race,” Campbell told Local 10’s Glenna Milberg. “The representation of the district is not there. People want to be able to engage with their congressperson.”
In an official statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Campbell doubled down on his “results over rhetoric” approach. His platform focuses heavily on tangible community needs: workforce housing, affordable rent, protecting Medicare, and revitalizing trade schools.
He points to his 35-year track record in Liberty City, co-founding the Liberty City Optimist Club and sending thousands of kids to college, as proof that he knows how to deliver.
“I’ve done the work. I have the relationships,” Campbell stated. “It’s time to turn influence into impact.”
Official Statement from Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell
— Luther Luke Campbell (@unclelukereal1) February 16, 2026
Candidate for U.S. Congress – Florida’s 20th District
“After decades of fighting for my community—from the courtroom defending free speech all the way to the United States Supreme Court, to building businesses that created…
Campbell isn’t naive about the scrutiny coming his way. When asked if he’s prepared for negative campaigning given his controversial rap career, he offered a professional-casual shrug.
“The 10 things that I don’t want people to know about, everybody already knows about,” Campbell shared. His life, from the bass-heavy anthems of the 80s to his landmark legal battles, is an open book. He is betting that voters care less about lyrics from 1989 and more about who can actually get things done in 2026.
He notably resigned from his position as head football coach at Miami Edison Senior High School after eight seasons to focus on the run.
The road to Washington won’t be easy. He faces Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick, who dismissed the challenge, stating she “doesn’t have time to worry about political games.” However, the incumbent is facing battles of her own, including a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding campaign finance allegations.
Campbell is positioning himself as a unique hybrid candidate, someone with deep community roots who also possesses the celebrity wattage to get anyone on the phone. In a polarized political landscape, he claims to be the only candidate capable of bridging the gap, asserting, “Who’s going to be able to go talk to Marco Rubio? Who’s going to be able to go talk to Donald Trump? Me.”
One of his top priorities? Fighting to maintain Temporary Protected Status for the hundreds of thousands of immigrants in South Florida facing deportation threats, a critical issue for the district’s large Haitian and Caribbean population.
Luther Campbell has spent a lifetime proving people wrong. He fought the law and won. He took kids from forgotten neighborhoods and sent them to Division I universities. Now, he wants to prove that “Uncle Luke” can be “Congressman Campbell.”
As he put it in his announcement: “My goal is to make CD20 the standard of what a congressional district in America should look like—revitalized, respected, and resourced.”
