Rap Legend Luther Campbell Weighs Congressional Run After Years of Civic Work

Luther Campbell

Luther Campbell has spent most of his adult life being told to shut up — by police, by politicians, by prosecutors, and by critics who never imagined he would still be here long enough to be taken seriously.
So when Uncle Luke says he wants to listen, it lands differently.

On Monday, Campbell posted a message to Instagram saying he is considering a run for Congress in Florida’s 20th District, but emphasized that no decision would come before conversations with the people who live there.

He said he plans to meet residents where they are — at community meetings, churches, parks and neighborhood gatherings — to hear concerns and better understand what the district needs.

“I’m considering a run for Congress in CD-2,” Campbell wrote. “But before anything, I want to have real conversations with the people who live here.”

There was no campaign launch, no slogans, no platform rollout. Instead, Campbell framed the moment as exploratory — listening first, deciding later. For an artist whose name is permanently tied to free-speech battles and confrontations with authority, the tone was notably restrained.

It was also consistent with how he has operated for decades: show up, assess, then move.

The post came as Campbell steps away from his role as head football coach at Miami Edison Senior High School, where he spent six years rebuilding a program that had nearly collapsed. When he arrived in 2018, Edison had eight players and one win the previous season. Under Campbell, the Red Raiders progressed steadily, eventually reaching a regional championship game last season.

That coaching success was not an outlier. Campbell has spent years investing in youth development, most notably through the Liberty City Optimist Club he founded in 1994. The program has produced multiple national championships and a long list of professional athletes, including Chad Johnson, Antonio Brown, Lavonte David and Devonta Freeman.

His coaching résumé also includes stints as a defensive coordinator, internships with the New York Giants and volunteer work at college satellite camps, where he developed relationships with prominent coaches across the sport.

Campbell said stepping away from Edison was about focus — a recognition that running for Congress, even tentatively, requires time and attention he was unwilling to split at the expense of young athletes. He has set Feb. 15, 2026, as the date by which he will decide whether to formally enter the race.

The political backdrop makes the timing notable. Florida’s 20th District, a heavily Democratic, majority-Black seat long held by the late Rep. Alcee Hastings, is currently represented by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who is facing a federal indictment tied to alleged misuse of campaign and FEMA-related funds.

Campbell previously explored challenging Cherfilus-McCormick in 2024 but ultimately did not qualify for the ballot, despite forming a PAC and registering with the Federal Election Commission.