MIAMI -- Former Hialeah Mayor and Cuban-American Democrat Raul Martinez announced that he will run for Congress.

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After a two-year retirement, Martinez told supporters on Tuesday that he wants to go to Capitol Hill. He said the incumbent, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, doesn't represent the district.

"He has simply been a follower," Martinez said.

Diaz-Balart has beaten politicians like Patrick Cusack, Seth Galinsky and Frank Gonzalez at the polls to win eight terms in Congress. Winning a ninth term will be harder, said NBC 6 political reporter Nick Bogert.

Martinez ran things in Hialeah for 24 years. But Diaz-Balart has won in the district where Republicans outnumber Democrats.

"I'm proud of my record of effective service," Diaz-Balart said.

Martinez said the war in Iraq keeps America from spending on job creation, expanding health coverage and mending the country's infrastructure.

Martinez told NBC 6 that he supports a reasonable timetable for withdrawal.

Incumbent Diaz-Balart said he supports the troop surge. His past support for the war effort has been mocked on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."

Martinez also criticized President George W. Bush's tax cuts that Diaz-Balart backs.

"The tax cuts should benefit the middle class people, people in the lower echelon," Martinez said.

Martinez said limiting Cuban-Americans from visiting and sending money to family on the island is wrong. Diaz-Balart has supported such limits as a way of putting economic pressure on the Cuban regime.

The race has already gone beyond policy debate, Bogert said.

"He started with a barrage of attacks on me personally," Martinez said.

He said that Diaz-Balart attacked him unfairly on Spanish-language radio.

"He says I'm being supported by and this candidacy is being promoted by Fidel Castro," Martinez said.

The attack Martinez spoke of was a one-minute statement put out by Diaz-Balart outlining some of his achievements.

Bogert said the campaign is expected to get rough.

"You're looking at two aggressive people who I don't think shy away from saying what they think," said Hialeah Gardens Mayor Yioset de la Cruz.

De la Cruz was by Martinez's side as he announced that he was running.

Martinez said he hopes he'll have a lot of supporters like de la Cruz – Republicans who will cross party lines to vote for him.

"I'm a Republican, but I don't vote for an R or a D," de la Cruz said. "I vote for the best candidate."

Democrats hope to take on all three long-time Cuban-American congressional Republicans, Bogert said.

Miami-Dade County party chair Joe Garcia said he will challenge Mario Diaz-Balart, and businesswoman Annette Taddeo will take on Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Democrats may even set up political action committees to pay for advertisements attacking all three Republican incumbents, Bogert said. He said to expect Republicans to spend a lot to defend those seats.