Race clouded by ethics, Garcia ousts Rivera

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Republican Congressman David Rivera is being sent home after one term amid accusations of ethics violations.

With 80 percent of District 26 precincts reporting, Democrat Joe Garcia led with 53.9 percent of the vote.

The embattled Miami congressman was out-fundraised more than 2-to-1, saw his district's lines be redrawn in a way seen more favorable to Garcia and, more than anything else, was seeking re-election under a cloud of ethical lapses.

The Florida Ethics Commission found probable cause last month that Rivera committed 11 ethics laws violations while a state lawmaker.

Garcia had also run against Rivera in 2010. He goes to Washington representing the Florida Keys and mostly suburban and rural parts of Miami-Dade and Collier counties.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)