Florida Democrats selected former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to chair the party on Saturday after Republicans statewide cemented GOP control.
Fried, who lost the Democrat nomination for governor to Charlie Crist, was chosen to be Florida’s state party chair after Manny Diaz, her predecessor, abruptly stepped down in January after terrible election results for her party last November.
Diaz, who oversaw the party as Crist, lost to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) by nearly 20 points, complained in his resignation letter last month about the many problems the party is facing in the state, including there being a lack of resources, volunteers and poor messaging.
After joining the race nearly two weeks ago and saying she was not interested in the job, Fried beat out three other prominent Democrats at a special meeting of party members in suburban Orlando, including former state Sen. Annette Taddeo. According to the Associated Press, some progressives in her party called Fried a “Republican operative” due to her past donations and work for GOP candidates.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried participates in a cabinet meeting at the capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
In her remarks following her victory, Politico reported that Fried vowed to unite the party against DeSantis, who is expected to make a White House bid, and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who is running for reelection.
“You better believe we are going to take it to Ron DeSantis every damn day,” Fried told a crowded room of Democrats on Saturday after she won. She reportedly vowed to deny Scott reelection and said she would send him “home to Naples” next year.
In 2022, national Democrats largely abandoned the state during the election season and did not put any significant amounts of money into the state. Over the last few years, Republicans have erased the Democrats’ voter registration advantage they held for decades.
In fact, the state that voted for former President Barack Obama over a decade ago voted for former President Donald Trump in the last two elections her was on the ballot. Republicans now also have over 400,000 more active registered voters than Democrats statewide.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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