A ghost candidate who helped sway a Miami-area legislative race back in 2020 testified Friday that he was offered $50,000 to run for office. The alleged sham candidate, Alex Pedro Rodriguez, under oath, said former state Sen. Frank Artiles was behind his ghost campaign. Rodriguez never planned on winning, only disrupting the race " which ended up flipping the Senate seat from Democrat to Republican. The Democratic candidate had the same last name as me, and it would help save in votes away in exchange for me running, so he would give me $50,000, $25,000 before the election and 25 after," Rodriguez told the court. "I agreed to do it, I needed the money. I am ashamed, but I needed the money, so I said yes," he said.