MIAMI -- With his wife and daughter by his side, the chairman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party stood in front of a podium Thursday and announced his intention to challenge Mario Diaz-Balart for the District 25 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"People will have a choice," said Joe Garcia before a roomful of supporters at a Best Western in Kendall. "They can vote for more of the same or they can vote for a change."

Garcia is a 43-year-old lawyer and former executive director of the Cuban-American National Foundation, which he helped to push to the political mainstream.

"I believe in keeping the embargo and I don't agree with unilateral concession, but family is not an impediment to the freedom of Cuba," said Garcia. "The truth is that is part of the solution. What we have to do is promote family unification."

Diaz-Balart also wants to keep the U.S. embargo of Cuba in place, but he does not support easing travel restrictions for Cuban exiles.

Local 10's Michael Putney said Garcia might be the strongest challenger Diaz-Balart has faced since he was elected to Congress six years ago. But size, demographics and voter registration in the congressional district favors Diaz-Balart, Putney said.

"In the end, though, no matter how you draw a district, it's based on people going in November and voting for their candidate," said Garcia. "Sure, he drew a district that has more alligators than registered voters, the only district in Florida that touches both coasts, the district that has the most productive agricultural land and the least productive, but what it has is people."

The district -- which spans most of west Miami-Dade County and runs west all the way to Naples -- is the least Hispanic of the three congressional districts in South Florida represented by Cuban-Americans.

Last month, former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez announced his intention to challenge Diaz-Balart's older brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, an eight-term incumbent in the House.