Florida Democrats elected former gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried to be their next chair in the hopes that a change in leadership will help them reverse their statewide election defeats.
In a vote on Saturday, Democratic executive committee members chose Fried over former state senator Annette Taddeo, the chairman of the Broward Democratic Party, Rick Hoye, and the chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida’s legislative committee, Carolina Ampudia.
Fried admitted that the Florida election in November was “horrific,” but she reassured her followers that she had a “plan for victory.”
She vowed to present the issue to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis every single day.
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The former Miami Mayor and party chair Manny Diaz’s resignation last month served as the catalyst for the election.
Fried, who also referred to Ron DeSantis as a “zealous fascist dictator,” promised a jubilant crowd after her triumph that they would raise “low dollar donations” in the following election cycle and wage a significant challenge against him.
“The donors will be here when we are displaying success and when we are showing that we have a plan for success,” stated Fried.
Fried will have to begin her chairmanship by persuading the 65% of Democrats who rejected her just a few months ago, according to Christian Ziegler, the recently elected chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, who spoke to Politico.
Democrats will keep losing, and Florida will get better as a result, Ziegler continued.
Fried was congratulated on her victory by the Florida Democratic Party on Saturday, and the party expressed its desire to “work together to elect Democrats up and down the ballot to deliver for Floridians.”
Fried, a former agriculture commissioner for Florida, has entered the Democratic primary field for the 2022 run for governor. Charlie Crist defeated her in August, and Crist later lost the general election.
DeSantis won the game by more than 19 points. Also, the state’s Democratic Party suffered significant defeats.
Republicans gained nine seats in 2022, increasing their number in the state legislature of Florida from 76 to 85. Elections were held for all 120 members.
Democrats decreased from 42 to 35 after losing seven of those seats. Two pickups came through openings.
In the same election, Democrats dropped from 16 to only 12 members in the Florida state Senate, losing four seats. There were elections for all 40 seats.
