Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: #BecauseMiami: Uncle Luke Wants To Go To Washington

Date: February 20, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Dan Le Batard and the Because Miami team host Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke, to discuss his announcement to run for Congress representing Florida’s 20th District. The episode also covers a shocking development in the police shooting of Evelyn Valdez, a young woman killed during a police-involved incident in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, and probes deeply into failings of the city’s emergency response. The tone runs from raucous and irreverent to urgent and indignant as the show explores politics, community, and justice.

Uncle Luke’s Congressional Run

Uncle Luke’s Background and Motivation (04:00–07:45)

• Luke’s Candidacy Announced:
  • Uncle Luke is running to unseat incumbent Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who is facing federal indictment for misusing FEMA funds in her campaign. (00:46, 02:12)
• Campbell Positions Himself as Different:
  • “I am different than any, any of these people that is in this race. You got career politicians, you got people who’ve consistently ran and got their ass beat on a consistent basis.” — Uncle Luke (05:29)
  • He recounts decades of work in the community: running youth programs, coaching at Miami Edison Senior High, advocating for resources and facilities, and even winning major Supreme Court victories on First Amendment grounds (05:22–07:45).
• District’s Needs:
  • “When you look at the entire district... At the same time, you have a congresswoman who has not been here, pretty much lives in D.C... and is underserving the people of this community.” — Uncle Luke (03:10)
  • Campbell emphasizes District 20’s specific issues: underinvestment, large immigrant population, and lack of representation.

The Crowded Primary and Campaign Approach (04:16–07:48)

• Crowded Field:
  • Several Democratic contenders, including Elijah Manley, challenge the embattled incumbent.
  • “The more Democratic challengers McCormick has in the primary, theoretically, the better it does for her. It kind of cannibalizes the opposition and maybe she sails through.” — Interviewer (04:51)
• Luke’s Qualities:
  • Focus on tangible community improvement over negative campaigning: “I’m trying to stay away from negative campaign. You know, it’s like football. It’s a contact sport. As soon as they hit me, I’m gonna hit back.” — Uncle Luke (04:42)
• Immigration and TPS:
  • Highlights the precarious status of over 300,000 immigrants in the district, referencing concerns over “temporary protected status” (TPS), especially for Haitian communities, amid Republican targeting (07:48–08:29).

Bipartisan Work and Potential for Change (08:29–10:47)

• Ability to Work Across the Aisle:
  • “I’ve worked with Republicans and Democrats... Marco Rubio, I mean, I consider Marco Rubio as a good friend of mine. There’s never been a time where I’ve taken kids on college tours... that Marco Rubio didn’t donate.” — Uncle Luke (09:15)
  • Luke stresses he’ll cooperate with anyone, including Trump, if it benefits his district: “I think if you have a real serious conversation with this dude, I don’t think he’s going to get in the way of anything that I’m trying to bring to this district.” (11:35)

The “Eyes Wide Shut” Mar-a-Lago Story (12:25–19:33)

Viral Clip and Clarification (12:25–19:33)

• The Story:
  • Recounts a now-viral 2016 interview about a surreal Mar-a-Lago party in the 90s: “Just imagine the Eyes Wide Shut movie. That’s what I felt like I was in. ... every time you open up a door with something else going on that I didn’t care to be a part of...” — Uncle Luke (13:00)
• Fact-Checking and Denial:
  • Show presses Luke to clarify what he saw — or didn’t see — and why his tone in the old audio seemed more sensational.
  • “A large part of it is me in the interview, but I’m here to tell you this. There was no little girls running around there. I went in. I was invited. ... I left Mike Tyson there. I left Eddie Murphy there, and that was it. I see nobody taking no drugs. I ain’t see nobody having no sex.” — Uncle Luke (15:24–16:31)
• Memorable banter:
  • “When the man responsible for Uncle Luke's freak show is like, ‘This is too much for me’... People are curious about what it is that you saw.” (19:33)
• Final Word:
  • “If I can work with the bad people in Miami... I think I could work with people in Washington.” — Uncle Luke (09:23)

Petition, Support, and Closing the Politics Segment (21:32–24:49)

• Luke’s Qualifying Strategy:
  • Collecting petition signatures instead of paying to appear on the ballot: “If I can’t get 2500 petition signatures, then I will probably end up out of the race. But nine times ten, I believe in the people of this district.” — Uncle Luke (21:45)
• Petition Support:
  • Friendly banter with Roy and Billy about eligibility to sign.
• Closing Quips:
  • Mocking the incumbent’s alleged diamond ring purchase: “Sheila buys you a ring. A beautiful, beautiful, beautiful ring.” — Interviewer (24:41)
  • “Is from the fraud money. Which one? Because I mean, it was some odd money too.” — Uncle Luke (24:42)

Investigative Segment: The Death of Evelyn Valdez (28:40–47:16)

Breaking News: Police Bullet Killed Evelyn (28:40–31:42)

• Incident Overview:
  • Reveal: The bullet that killed Evelyn Valdez, out celebrating her 28th birthday, was fired by a Miami police officer. All shots that night were from officers; none were returned.
  • “Evelyn died because she made the horrible mistake of celebrating her birthday in the city of Miami.” — Interviewer (29:29)

Timeline of the Incident and Response Failures (31:42–39:26)

• Family Account:
  • The car she was in was unintentionally rerouted near the club as shots broke out (31:47).
  • Immediate attempt to find help from police — but the officers didn’t render aid, instead isolating Evelyn and her companions as if they were suspects. (34:29)
  • “How do you not render aid to somebody who’s shot in the back of the car?” — Unknown Family Member (34:46)
• EMS Delays:
  • Evelyn didn’t receive hospital care until 34 minutes after 911 was called, despite proximity to emergency services (36:42–37:21).
  • “You could walk there faster.” — Interviewer (37:13)
• Dispatch Problems:
  • Evidence of dispatcher understaffing and confusion — skeleton crew, multiple dispatchers on leave or overtime (40:21)
  • “There’s a lot of confusion coming over the comms. They don’t really know how many victims are involved. They don’t know where these victims are located.” — Angela Martin, attorney (38:47)

Family Perspective and Aftermath (41:24–47:16)

• Family’s Experience:
  • “No. Because to this day all that happened. I never got a call from an officer. ... I got the call from the girls. I didn’t speak to an officer until 5:30 in the morning after being in a hospital since 3:40.” — Christy Garcia (41:43)
• Suspect Treatment:
  • Family felt they were interrogated, not comforted: “The officer’s first words to us is... What do you know? ... You should be the person — the suspect with a firearm was taken out... No, it was that—” (42:05)
• Police Accountability:
  • Outrage that police fired all shots and then obfuscated with the family and public.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “If the people with my sister that night, instead of having faith in those that are paid to save lives, instead of having faith in them and just driving them themselves to the hospital, my sister probably still be here.” — Jose Valdez (44:04)

Investigation Status

• FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) is still conducting its investigation.
• Family and attorney are in a holding pattern, but gathering their own evidence.
• “This is a multidimensional incident, multidimensional tragedy. ... It was a catastrophic failure all around from the incident itself, from the response that came after.” — Angela Martin (46:34)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Doing the Work:

  "At the same time, you have a congresswoman that has not been here, pretty much lives in D.C. ... I think this is the right time. And you need a grown man to go up to Washington and fight for the people..."
  — Uncle Luke (03:10)

• On Miami’s Police Shooting:

  "Evelyn died because she made the horrible mistake of celebrating her birthday in the city of Miami."
  — Interviewer (29:29)

• On Systemic Failures:

  "I mean, that is a catastrophic failure all around from the incident itself, from the response that came after the incident."
  — Angela Martin (46:34)

• On Trust in First Responders:

  "If the people with my sister that night, instead of having faith in those that are paid to save lives... just driving them themselves to the hospital, my sister probably still be here."
  — Jose Valdez (44:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Uncle Luke’s announcement and reasons for running: 03:10–07:45
• District demographic issues and handling the primary: 07:48–10:47
• Working with Republicans, Trump, and Mar-a-Lago story: 12:25–19:33
• Petition process and playful banter: 21:32–24:49
• Evelyn Valdez shooting: background and breaking news: 28:40–31:42
• Timeline and failures in emergency response: 31:42–39:26
• Understaffing and 911 dispatch issues: 39:26–41:24
• Family’s frustration, advocacy, and update on investigation: 41:24–47:16

Tone and Style

• The tone shifts from lively, humorous, and combative political banter to somber, investigative reporting as the topics move from Uncle Luke’s campaign to the tragic, systemic failures exposed by Miami’s police and ambulance response.

This episode is essential listening for those interested in South Florida politics, hip hop’s political past, urban emergency response failures, and the complex intersection of community activism and public trust in Miami.