Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz recently created controversy within the Democratic Party by switching to a predominantly Black district as she seeks reelection after the state redrew its congressional lines. Now, a group of Black Democrats running for the same seat are discussing working together to ensure one of them wins the seat.
Black Democratic hopefuls discuss coalescing around a single candidate
The Miami Herald reported that four Black candidates running in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 20th Congressional District met Monday to discuss the possibility of combining forces behind one of them. The four — Elijah Manley, former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, rapper Luther Campbell and former congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick — discussed the idea of one of them going forward, with the others backing that candidate. “We didn’t have an agreement last night but we did agree that we needed to consolidate,” Manley said. “So that I believe is happening, and conversations are going on. They have been very constructive and fruitful.” Manley predicted that the four were “all going to come to some agreement before the end of qualifying,” as the June 12 filing deadline approaches. Campbell likewise emphasized that the four had prioritized winning the primary against Wasserman Schultz. “At the end of the day, we all had a good conversation,” the 2 Live Crew frontman said. “But the main thing is beating her.”
The idea of coalescing around a single Black candidate comes in response to Wasserman Schultz, who has served in Congress since 2005, announcing her decision to run for the 20th District seat after the Republican-controlled state government redrew the state’s lines to carve up four Democratic districts, including Wasserman Schultz’s district. Florida’s gerrymandering is part of a larger trend of partisan and racial redistricting in Republican-led states that threatens to unseat up to a third of the current members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Florida’s redistricting, while decreasing the total number of Democratic districts in the state, left the 20th District with a predominantly Black and heavily Democratic population. This makes it a safe district for whoever can win the Democratic primary and an opportunity to maintain Black representation in a political environment that is hostile to Black members of Congress. The 20th District was represented by Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April minutes before she faced a vote to expel her from Congress over charges that she stole millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds during the COVID pandemic.
Controversy over maintaining Black representation in the face of GOP hostility
With the prospect of significant losses to Black representation, Wasserman Schultz’s candidacy in a predominantly Black district has stirred up significant controversy. Some have backed Wasserman Schultz’s decision to run in the heavily Black district, arguing both that her seniority in Congress could make her an effective advocate for the district’s constituents and that voters should be allowed to make the choice for themselves. Many others, however, have questioned the decision. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who almost always endorses incumbent Democrats, has so far withheld an endorsement for Wasserman Schultz amid frustration over her decision to run in the predominantly Black district.
Representing the skepticism of Black Democratic leaders in the state, the Florida Legislative Black Caucus said in a statement that “Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz’s decision to pursue reelection in this historically Black district, despite explicit requests from the Black community to seek candidacy in a neighboring district, is disheartening.” A collection of nearly all the elected members of the Florida DNC said in a separate statement, “At a time when the Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act, when Black representation across the South is under coordinated attack, and when Florida Republicans have aggressively dismantled Black political power through redistricting, this decision reinforces the same message Republicans have pushed for years: that Black representation does not matter.”
So far, Wasserman Schultz has brushed off criticisms of her decision to run in the 20th District, and her experience and seniority make her a formidable candidate for the heavily Democratic seat. Her chances of winning are currently enhanced by a divided field of Black challengers who are now moving closer to whittling themselves down to a single Black candidate to compete for the seat.