Dems add a target in southern Florida with Garcia's entry

House Democrats have landed a big recruiting coup in Florida, with the repeat candidacy of former Miami-Dade County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Garcia.

A Democratic source confirmed to The Hill that Garcia will run again. He fell to Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) by just six points in 2008, and now that Diaz-Balart is running in the neighboring district being vacated by his brother, Garcia will be a top Democratic hope in a competitive district.

State Rep. David Rivera is off to a fast start on the GOP side, having raised $725,000 in the first quarter, but Garcia has shown himself to be a capable fundraiser as well. In his loss to Diaz-Balart last cycle, Garcia raised a strong $1.8 million.

It's the first good fundraising news in a while for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) which has lost top candidates in a series of races in recent months. In addition to those losses, Democrats haven't been able to add many targets to their list for 2010. The DCCC has assured that it will play offense this year, despite the many seats it will have to defend in a tough environment.