The woman recruited by the Miami-Dade Democratic Party to run in the special election for House District 116 was a Republican only hours before she registered to vote as a Democrat — the same day she qualified to run for state representative.

Gabriela Mayaudon, who is also listed on documents as Maria Gabriela Mayaudon, proudly declared herself “anti-Chavista y anti-Madurista hasta la muerte” and “Republicana” on her twitter profile a day or two before she qualified on the deadline day for the seat to replace State Rep. Jose Felix “Pepi” Diaz, a Republican who resigned to run for a vacated Senate seat.

In a telephone interview with Ladra, Mayaudon said she didn’t remember declaring herself Republican, nor did she admit changing it at the last minute to Democrat before completely changing it to the current candidate profile. But she also didn’t deny it.

Read related story: Venezuelan leader may join House 116 race for Democrats

“I don’t feel Republican. I feel centrist. It’s difficult to explain right now, but I am proud to be representing the Democratic Party and all the people who feel alientated by each party,” Mayaudon said, sounding very much like an NPA. “No, I’m a Democrat. And I will defend the party and I am running to represent all the people who feel disenfranchised.

“And when the time comes — and it will because, I am saying it here first, I will win — I will be able to represent all,” she said.

It doesn’t disqualify her. While a Democrat was forced to withdraw from the Senate District 40 race because he had switched from the Republican Party within the last year and lied about it, there is no rule precluding a newly-registered voter from running, according to Sarah Revell, a spokeswoman with the Florida Division of Elections. Mayaudon simply self-identified as a Republican, she never registered as one. In fact, she never registered at all before June 6, when she registered and filed to run as a Democrat. The Miami-Dade Democratic Party gave her $1,800 for her qualifying fee.

But while she was coy with Ladra, Mayaudon came clean with the Democrats who recruited her — which includes the new political director, who was a Republican himself a year ago (more on that later).

“She was very up front about the fact that when she first got here, she affiliated with the Republian Party,” said Juan Cuba, chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. “But after this election, she could see that her values are not aligned with the values of the Republican Party.”

Cuba says that the party was recruiting for different races because they do not want to see any Republican run unchallenged. Mayaudon, a Venezuelan congresswoman who came to this country seeking political asylum and who became an activist in Doral’s Venezuelan community seemed like a good candidate he said. Her diversity definitely helped.

Read related story: Few hopefuls line up to replace Jose Felix Diaz in 116

“Democrats need to do more work in the Venezuelan community,” Cuba said. “We risk losing an entire generation. And they are affiliating with the Republican Party because they are the only party speaking to their issue.”

But maybe they should have groomed her and waited to run in the district where she actually lives and where she is known, which is House district 105, and supported the Democrat candidate that was already qualified in the 116 race, perennial candidate Ross Hancock. Ross doesn’t live in the district either but he lives as close to it as Mayaudon does and was already looking for a new place. He also has run before so he knows how to walk and, as a full fledged naturalist and a former NPA, he pulls from both the environmental voter base and the independents in the general. Sure, he is a perennial candidate, but not the same as an Annette Taddeo — who is running for her fourth different elected office — because he has only run for one office, a House seat. He hasn’t jumped into other races to serve in just any elected office. He has honed in on the Florida House, where he can best promote an environmental agenda.

He also speaks Spanish a little better than Mayaudon speaks English, which could be an issue. She answered in slow, broken and labored English when pressed but otherwise answered questions posed in English in her native Spanish. Ladra loves Hispanic candidates as much as any buena perra sata, and I have often said that there are some districts where you need a z or a vowel at the end of your name to compete. This 116 seat could be one of those. But both the Republican candidates are so bad that this could have been Hancock’s best chance ever to make it to Tallahassee. Ladra wishes he hadn’t withdrawn, if only to force a debate on the issues with a woman who tweeted, only a month ago, that she lives in the U.S.A. but her heart is still in Venezuela.

Cuba said that neither he nor anyone at the party encouraged Hancock to withdraw, but Hancock told Ladra he made it very clear that he would not run against another Democrat in the primary. Hancock did not want to spend any resources at all until the general, where he felt he would also get a majority of independents to support him against whoever the Republicans chose (either the establishment choice or the Havana poster boy). Cuba said that it was simply a misunderstanding: They thought Ross, who has run three times already, didn’t really want to run and was only doing it because no other Democrat would. So they got one.

Cuba also said that they looked for someone “with a story to tell.”

But it seems the “story” she’s telling is that she’s a Democrat.

And the Democrats — who threw away the chance to win a competitive House seat that Hillary took in November with a genuine candidate by registering a last minute Latina that checks some boxes — might be selling a story, too.

A new and practically unknown Democrat has filed in the race for Florida House seat 116, to replace Jose Felix  “Pepi” Diaz, who resigned to run for Senate. But it’s not her first time running for office.

Gabriela Mayaudon served in the Venezuelan legislature before moving to South Florida about 10 years ago, said Elezear Melendez, the new political director for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.

“She was a congresswoman in Venezuela and she has an amazing story of fighting dictatorship there. She was looking to get involved in politics,” Melendez told Ladra Monday after Mayaudon filed her papers. He is listed as her treasurer but says that is only temporary until she gets her campaign team together.

Read related story: Cuba engagement photos become issue in GOP 116 primary

“She is someone who comes highly recommended by the civil leadership in Doral,” he said, adding that the city is at the northern end of the district and that Mayaudon became a citizen last year. The address listed on her paperwork seems to be the north part of Doral, however, just outside the district. And records show she and her husband, Carlos Rodriguez, own a house in Sunrise, where they claim their Homestead exemption.

Together, the couple also own Rock Health, a San Francisco-based venture fund that seeds and financially supports start-up companies at the intersection of health and technology. Mayaudon lists her occupation on LinkedIn as vice president of Rock Health. State records with the Division of Corporation show that RockHealth Inc., in Medley, is owned by Rodriguez and Maria G. Mayaudon — who also own the 3-bedroom, 2-bath house in Broward County.

Published reports show that in 2012, Mayaudon helped welome Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who visited Miami when she came to provide the U.S. Department of Justice with documents that showed a link between the Venezuelan government and drug trafficking.

A woman who answered the phone listed on Mayaudon’s paperwork took Ladra’s name and number and abruptly hung up on me. She said the candidate was unavailable and would have a press conference in 10 days, but she flatly refused to give me her name several times. Ladra is pretty sure it was the candidate caught off guard.

Former Doral Councilwoman Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera, who Ladra always thinks of when she needs more info on a Venezuelan activist, said she knows Mayaudon and that she would be a good representative.

Read related story: Few hopefuls line up to replace Jose Felix Diaz in 116

“She’s taking my leadership course,” Rodriguez-Aguilera said. “She’s an awesome, fabulous woman. She was a Venezuelan congresswoman and supported many Venezuelan groups here. She will do great things.”

Perennial candidate Ross Hancock, who has run in two other state house districts, had already qualified to run for the Democrats so that they wouldn’t be unrepresented, he said. He had not yet decided if he would withdraw or not. He said he had been told by Melendez that Mayaudon would qualify, but she had not as of Monday evening.

“She has until noon tomorrow. Naturally, I don’t want to drop out and leave no option for the Democratic Party,” Hancock said, adding that he may bow out if the party was going to support her.

Ladra hopes he doesn’t. Voters deserve to have a choice, even in a primary. Particularly with someone as new and untested as Mayaudon.

In fact, Ladra is surprised that there was no better candidate for this open seat race in either aisle and thinks that all the current candidates are so blah that anyone with a little bit of money can take it.

This race would benefit from a surprise Tuesday morning.

The Senate seat in District 40 isn’t the only special election seat on the summer ballot. Voters in House District 116 will also pick a replacement for State Rep. Jose Felix “Pepi” Diaz, who resigned last seek to run for Senate to replace Frank Artiles, his BFF and roommate, who resigned last month after a racist and sexist tirade about and with colleagues.

On the Republican side, Jose Mallea and Daniel Anthony Perez both started raising money in March. Perez has a respectable $49,790. Mallea, a onetime Marco Rubio campaign worker, raised more than that in the first month and $89,560 so far. And it looks like he has already hit the street, sharing photos of last Saturday’s canvassing on Facebook.

But don’t think it’s a given Republican district, because it’s not. It’s certainly a little more red than the Senate Distict, but the blue team could still gain a seat. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won the district in November with just over 51 percent of the vote. What’s more, Donald Trump only got 45 percent. And there’s no Gary Johnson in this race. Not yet anyway.

On Monday, Ross Hancock electronically filed to run for the Democrat spot in the race. “There being no sign that the Dems can scramble anyone for it, I want to stand up for it,” he told Ladra, who hopes he uses the same signs with the Everglades in it.

But he might not be the only one. This has to be an attractive seat for the Dems, who might want to back someone in the special election now that their pick for Senate 40, State Rep. Daisy Baez, bowed out last week after getting caught living outside her district. Ladra can’t imagine that they wouldn’t find someone — or back Hancock.

Speaking of residency, Hancock ran in District 115 last August and in 114 twice. So has he moved?

There is still time. The governor set the election for the same date as the senate race, July 26. But Secretary of State Ken Detzner hasn’t set the qualifying dates for 116 yet. The deadline for the senate race is Tuesday, so it might be by the end of next week.

But it’s not like the Democrats have a fat bench. Not here anyway. The Dems can’t go west of Miami. Notice how many they have waiting in the wings to run to replace Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring next year, and they have nobody yet to run against Congressman Carlos Curbelo.

Unless Annette Taddeo tries again after losing the Senate 40 primary to Ana Rivas Logan. And that’s like having nobody.

The latest turn in the Zika politics trend is a trinket: A citronella repellent wristband that will be distributed at select polls Tuesday by State House 115 Democrat candidate Ross Hancock.

“Because who couldn’t foresee long ago that Miami-Dade voters would be exposed to mosquitoes,” Hancock asked.

Um, everybody else.

Even Mayor Carlos Gimenez, whose actions on the Zika crisis have been too little, too late (more on that later). In fact, what the mayor’s done as he faces a tough re-election is get photo ops with the governor and congress members as he pretends to tackle the issue with press statements every other day about the latest after-the-fact, come-to-the-rescue aerial spraying, as if he had a choice not to.

A lot of other candidates have turned the Zika crisis into campaign fodder. Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla sent a mailer with “Zika awareness tips” and urged voters to put it on their refrigerators. Scott Fuhrman, the Democrat most likely to face Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in November, sent a mailer with a photo of him and his pregnant wife — the virus is known to cause birth defects and the CDC has warned expecting mothers to stay away from Miami-Dade — in which he tells voters that his family lives close to Wynwood, where the first locally-transmitted cases were reported. The message: We are with you on the front lines! Democrats, like former Congressman Joe Garcia, have used the Zika crisis to bash their Republican counterparts, because they refused to increase spending to combat it. 

Alfred Santamaria, a no-chance mayoral candidate, was in Wynwood Tuesday passing out medical “neutralizer” treatments (read: snake oil) for Zika — only after he tipped off reporters and got the TV cameras rolling first. But Wednesday, he had to backpedal and say the balm he distributed to already freaked-out people did not neutralize the virus, simply alleviate the itching. Sounds like a true politician!

Santamaria may be in trouble since the “donation” to his campaign from a medical company — with the same address as the video production company that donated $90,000 in-kind to the campaign — could be a violation of state election laws because the medication has a value and it could be considered buying votes. Former State Rep turned attorney to the pols J.C. Planas said he would file a complaint against Santamaria. 

Read related story: In 115 primary, Ross Hancock is best bet against Bileca

Hancock said the yellow wristbands, which have a little mosquito on them as well as his name, fall well within the rules for campaign trinkets — like hats and pens and balloons — that don’t require a disclaimer as long as they cost a few dollars or less. He said they cost 74 cents a piece.

And this Zika campaign gimmick might be the first to actually benefit voters directly. What a concept!

And, even though the word Democrat is on the wristband, the benefits are bipartisan.

Said Hancock: “Zika doesn’t care if you are Democrat, Republican, or other.”

Both the Democrats in the primary race for the seat in State House district 115 are similar in that both are well-liked gringos, perennial candidates who have run before and who are running wholly positive campaigns. In fact, some people who know them both are having a hard time making a choice.

But if the end game is to take out Republican State Rep. Michael Bileca and flipping the seat to blue, then Ross Hancock presents the better odds.

First, let’s look at just the numbers.

Both Hancock and Pinecrest chiropractor Jeffrey Solomon have run against GOP incumbents, but in 2012, Hancock came closer to beating Erik Fresen (lost 51 to 49%) than Solomon got to beating Bileca (lost 53 to 47%). And, even more importantly, he did it with far less money. Hancock had $8,230 to Fresen’s $265,800. Solomon spent $75,000 to Bileca’s $523,000.

Read related story: Perennial candidates may face off in House 115 Dem primary

Also, if Bileca beat Solomon in a year when Obama topped the ticket, there is no reason to think he can’t beat him again when Hillary is expected to cause less excitement among Democrats.

Hancock, meanwhile, may have additional appeal:

• He put his money where his mouth is this time, loaning himself $100,000 to get his message out. He was able to afford a giant billboard on U.S. 1 at 104th Street right on top of the Keg South in Pinecrest which he has secured through the general election (two million sets of eyes a day!) and still has more than $80,000 left. Solomon has loaned himself $5,300 and raised $18,500, but he has spent almost $18,000 so he only has $6,000 left.
• Hancock speaks Spanish, almost fluently. Hancock has been taking Spanish lessons for almost a year now. He wanted to be able to speak to the Hispanic voters in their language. He was on Buenos Dias Miami, Tomas Garcia Fuste’s Mira TV show, Saturday morning.
• He was once a registered independent. One of his yard signs — Hancock has two versions — states “declare your independence,” and he plans to appeal directly to these voters in the general. This could also attract Republican voters who may not be happy with their presidential nominee.
• He has a lot of influential endorsements. And that can translate into a lot of votes. The United Teachers of Dade endorsement pulls teachers and their families and people who think education is important. Ditto for the United Faculty of Miami-Dade. The SAVE endorsement pulls the gay vote and their families. The AFL-CIO endorsement pulls public employees and their families.

But don’t take my word for it. Go to the website for each candidate. If you look at even just the about page, you will see a huge difference. Solomon’s entire page is dedicated to how he has developed his professional career as a sports medicine celebrity. One almost gets the feeling this election presents another professional opportunity. Hancock’s is more about his dedication to environmental causes and his family.

Ladra also saw Hancock turn a Republican voter right in front of my eyes in the parking lot at the Coral Reef Library over the weekend. Well, actually, the Palmetto Bay voter was uncommitted — until Hancock told her about Bileca’s votes on open campus carry and fracking laws. Now, she’s voting for him. She even took a yard sign home!

And those signs! In all her years covering campaigns and elections, Ladra has never seen such a great sign, which is basically a photo of Hancock, paddling through the Everglades in a kayak he built out of mahogany marine plywood.

He built his own kayak! If that doesn’t scream Tallahassee I don’t know what does.

Perennial candidate Ross Hancock is running against another Democrat for the opportunity to face State Rep. Michael Bileca in November.

But it might also look like he’s running against Donald Trump.

Hancock has a mailer going out this week to Hispanic Democrats that plays on their alleged distaste for the brash millionaire GOP presidential nominee. It’s also entirely in Spanish.

“Existe Trump porque no hay respeto hacia ustedes, porque él no los escucha,” it says, or “Trump exists because there is no respect for you, because he doesn’t listen to you.”

Read related story: Perennial candidates may face off in House 115 primary

“I respect you and understand you,” it says on the other side of the 6X11 postcard, explaining how he’s taken Spanish classes — “despite being 60 years old” — to better communicate with the Latino voting bloc.

“My Spanish is not perfect, but I continue to study, as my task will be to represent the members of my community, and language proficiency, without doubt, will be a great tool value for this purpose,” he writes.

“English speaking by birth. Spanish speaking by choice. Democrat by heart.”

The piece, timed for the week before absentee ballots are mailed to voters, shows how much local pols think the top of the ballot will affect voters here. Some observers say 305 Republican incumbents could be in trouble because, in a blue county where Hillary Clinton leads the polls, even many voters are still #NeverTrump. A recent Bendixen Amandi poll for Univision and the Miami Herald showed that one out of five Miami-Dade Republicans would vote Hillary.

But a Democrat using it in a primary is still interesting. Ross faces another perennial candidate, Jeffrey Solomon, on Aug. 30.

Mostly, Ross is using his new Spanish-speaking skills to woo Hispanic Democrats now, and Latino independents in the general, to show that he will be a better listener and representative because, well, he speaks their language.

Ladra wonders if Sr. Solomon habla español.