Busted on ethics violations. Resigned from Congress instead of expelled. But does Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick plan on running for Congress again?

As our readers will remember, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, congresswoman from Florida, was federally charged with theft to the tune of millions from FEMA. This resulted in a House Ethics Committee investigation that found her very, very guilty on 25 of 27 counts before them. Initially, though, Democrats were unwilling to expel Cherfilus-McCormick.

Hakeem Jeffries doubles down and says he will not vote to expel Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick who was indicted for defrauding FEMA of $5 million.

JEFFRIES: "I'm a hard no." pic.twitter.com/KPs3zbu7RQ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 2, 2026

Their tune changed, however, as multiple Congressional scandals began to surface, which resulted in Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales both resigning. Cherfilus-McCormick’s name was also in the mix during these expulsion discussions. And with the Ethics Committee voting on possible sanctions, Cherfilus-McCormick decided to beat them to the punch last Tuesday.

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— Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (@CongresswomanSC) April 21, 2026

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from the House of Representatives effective immediately on Tuesday, less than an hour before its Ethics Committee was set to discuss what sanctions to impose on the Florida Democrat for violating more than two dozen House rules and ethical standards.

Cherifilus-McCormick faces a pending criminal case in U.S. District Court in Miami on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in Covid-19 disaster relief funds allocated to her family’s health-care business, a portion of which was then allegedly contributed to her 2022 congressional campaign.

The Ethics Committee’s own case against her relates to her use of the funds for the campaign. The congresswoman faced the prospect of a vote by the House on whether to expel her after the Ethics Committee issued its sanctions.

In her resignation statement, which was posted on X, Cherfilus-McCormick, who denies any wrongdoing, said the Ethics Committee’s process in dealing with allegations against her was unfair.

“By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt.”

“I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished.”

She really believes that SHE is the victim here, and that the Ethics Committee was totally unfair. Cherfilus-McCormick thinks that the House should give her due process equivalent to a criminal case, but that isn’t what the Ethics Committee is for. They can either fine her, or recommend expulsion. This was not a witch hunt – she had become a liability for the Democrats, and they were willing to vote her out.

So, is Cherfilus-McCormick delusional, or does she really think she’s going to be able to beat the rap and still have a political career? It is apparently an open question.

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is still registered to run for reelection despite having resigned from office amid congressional and federal probes for allegedly mishandling disaster relief funding for personal gain.

On April 17, Cherfilus-McCormick submitted notice of her candidacy to the Florida Department of State as a Democrat — just a week before officially stepping down from office.

She filed that notice AFTER she was found guilty by the Ethics Committee, and after Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales resigned. Did Cherfilus-McCormick really think that all danger of expulsion was past, and the Ethics Committee wouldn’t do more than impose fines? That was a bold gamble, and she lost.

But since she hasn’t withdrawn her notice, she’s still eligible for the Florida ballot, despite her resignation. After all, she wasn’t expelled, and she hasn’t been convicted in federal court (yet) for theft, so she still can technically run for office again. And other Democrats who were planning on challenging her in the primary are not happy about it.

In a statement shared with Newsweek, Democratic candidate Elijah Manley said Cherfilus‑McCormick was “trying to pull a quick one on voters,” accusing her of exploiting public trust during the COVID‑19 pandemic and warning that voters in the district would not overlook the allegations tied to her use of federal disaster relief funds.

Several candidates have already filed or declared bids for Florida’s 20th Congressional District, a heavily Democratic seat. Other Democrats in the race include community organizer Elijah Manley; former Broward County commissioner Dale Holness; attorney Mark Douglas; Maisha Williams; Dr. Rudolph Moise, a family physician; and Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, a longtime South Florida activist and entertainer.

In a statement shared with Newsweek, Manley said, “Unfortunately for her, voters will remember a crooked politician who took their money during a global pandemic and enriched herself. She is delusional if she thinks voters in FL-20 will send her back to the Washington.

This primary battle, should Cherfilus-McCormick decide to pursue re-election, is going to be bitter and brutal. Every single other Democrat is going to make her wear her indictment and resignation in a very public way. One would think that she would be smart enough to avoid getting dragged in public like that, but she’s brazened things out since her indictment last November. Who knows how delusional or arrogant she really is at this point?

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick should be focused on getting a really good defense lawyer, not running for office. She got the date for her trial pushed back to next February, but those charged along with her, including her own brother, are probably not going to take the fall so she can still have a political career. Plea deals are likely in her future, but she better hope that one of the other defendants doesn’t throw her under the bus first.

Featured image: former Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, official Congressional portrait, cropped, public domain