Nearly all of the elected members of the Florida Democratic National Committee have condemned Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D- Weston) decision to run for reelection in Florida's new 20th congressional district.
In a statement released Tuesday, 10 of the 15 elected members of the Florida DNC said that by running in the historically Black district, Wasserman Schultz was undermining Black political representation.
"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. We cannot claim to defend voting rights, racial justice, and representation while undermining Black political power when it becomes politically convenient," the statement said.
Signees included Daniel Henry, Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party.
Wasserman Schultz announced her decision to run in Florida's 20th district after the push by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to redraw the state's congressional districts to favor Republicans.
Wasserman Schultz's current district, Florida's 25th, which had included most of southern Broward, was redrawn to include coastal communities from Delray Beach to Miami Beach. The southern Broward areas she represents were broken into five separate Republican-leaning districts. Florida's 20th district includes most of central Broward north of I-595 and is deemed by far the safest democratic seat in Broward County.
The statement issued by DNC members said the redistricting efforts were a way for Republicans to minimize Black representation, and that Wasserman Schultz's decision to run was just as harmful.
"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," the statement said." It does matter. Representation matters. Lived experience matters."
READ MORE: Amid backlash from Black candidates, Wasserman Schultz announces reelection bid in FL-20
The DNC members joined a number of Black democratic leaders in decrying Wasserman Schultz.
Incoming Senate Democratic Leader Designate Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said he had spoken to Wasserman Schultz in recent days about the race and told her "Black representation is a non-negotiable for me."
"Everyone deserves to have a seat at the table to ensure our communities are represented by those with their same lived experience," he said in a statement on Friday. "This is not about Debbie because she has shown that she can lead; that's not the argument nor should it be the fight, at least not mine. My fight is for Black representation, and I am in the business of expanding it, not diminishing it."
The Florida Legislative Black Caucus, which preempted Wasserman Schultz's run in Florida's 20th with a statement asking her to run elsewhere, said in a statement Friday the move was "disheartening."
"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," the Caucus said.
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