Florida Democrats have expressed outrage after Debbie Wasserman Schultz swept into Florida’s 20th Congressional District—a majority-black district—and secured the primary nomination.
The former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee announced her candidacy for the redrawn 20th District following redistricting that moved her from her previous seat. In a statement, Schultz said: “The voters of this district deserve a representative who shares their daily life and will fight for them — not another outsider who parachuted into the race when it became convenient.”
The issue ignited immediate backlash among Democrats, who insist the district must be represented by a Black candidate. An official statement from nearly all DNC members in Florida, released in May, declared: “Our party cannot credibly denounce the dismantling of black political power by Republicans while treating one of Florida’s few remaining majority-black districts as a political opportunity for an incumbent seeking a safer seat.”
Despite the controversy, Schultz won the primary Tuesday and will now face Republican Brent Andersen in the general election.
