Kendrick Meek Jr. enters crowded race for Florida's 24th congressional district to succeeding Frederica Wilson

A familiar name has entered the crowded race for Florida's 24th congressional district, which covers parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Kendrick Meek Jr., 29, announced he is running for the seat that was once held by his grandmother, Carrie Meek, and his father, Kendrick Meek.

Meek announced his candidacy from his grandmother's living room, where she launched her own campaign 34 years ago. He framed his run around the issue of economic strain, saying, "These aren't normal times,".

"Life is unaffordable for a majority of the people in South Florida. I think everyone knows that, but I don't think anyone is doing anything about it," Meek said.

The seat is currently occupied by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who has announced she is not running for reelection.

Meek says he is not running on name recognition alone and wants to appeal to young voters. "I think that there are a lot of disengaged voters in South Florida, particularly young people, who want to see themselves in Congress," he said.

Affordability has emerged as a top priority for candidates in this race. State Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens also announced his candidacy this week.

"Who is going to win is the individual who can show what it looks like for people, not just in this district, but also people in this country, to not have to struggle to get their food on the table," Jones said.

Other early candidates include Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime, and Dr. Rudy Moise, a physician. Te Mayonna Brown, Andy Daro, Marshall L. Davis,  and Roderick Vereen have also qualified to run.

The primary election is on Aug. 18.