Florida Democrats test 2 different comeback strategies

Por Kimberly Leonard — POLITICO – TOP Stories

MIAMI — Democrats at the top of the ticket in Florida are running a real-time experiment on how to claw their way back to competitiveness in a state where Republicans consolidated power under Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump.

Two Democrats running very different campaigns are testing divergent strategies and messaging: On one side is the Democratic nominee for governor, David Jolly, a former Republican who has built his political brand around moderation and crossover appeal. On the other is Senate hopeful state Rep. Angie Nixon, who has embraced her identity as an unapologetic progressive and crafted a campaign steeped in confrontational grassroots activism and splashy social media virality.

“We’re the yin and yang,” said Nixon, who notched an upset primary in August against better-funded, establishment-backed Alex Vindman, a candidate who may have been a more natural political counterpart to Jolly.

How well Nixon and Jolly each perform in November could shape the state party moving forward as well as the national party’s strategy for the 2028 presidential election — especially as political operatives and presidential hopefuls look for clues on a winning message.

Pessimistic Democrats in Florida have worried that winding up with a political odd couple on the ballot would make it harder for the party to rally around a unified message. While internal infighting spilled out publicly after the primary, interviews with 10 Democrats across Florida reveal they’re now in heads-down mode focused on trying to win where they can.

Few are arguing the state is solidly in play after stinging defeats the last two cycles. They instead say it would be enough to get the statewide races close to show the party is gradually improving its standing. They also expect to flip seats in the Republican-dominated state Legislature.

One Democratic operative, who, like others, was granted anonymity to speak candidly, said the understanding is that many of their party’s voters who don’t like one candidate or the other, given their differences, will go to the polls with a “grin and bear it” attitude — and that “soul searching” will follow. Another operative acknowledged that shortcomings of both candidates could be “a concern,” saying that while the duo showed the party had a “big tent,” Nixon had a tendency to go off script, and Jolly had demonstrated he was resistant to combat.

“But we are in an era of flawed candidates,” the person added. “I like that Democrats are moving away from hand-wringing.”

Those who hold the most optimistic view of the ticket argue that Democrats can appeal to a wide swath of voters, including independents and disaffected Republicans — a necessity if they want to overcome Republicans’ 1.5-million voter registration advantage. The Florida Democratic Party has reinforced that message on social media, writing on X that its nominees have “something that fits everyone.”

“We have a unique ticket that offers something for all the constituencies of our party,” said Ryan Ray, chair of the Leon County Democratic Party. “I don’t think it’s what anyone would have drawn up whole cloth, but it’s actually ingenious. … That’s how real people really are.”

“I don’t know if there’s anything more Florida than the top of our ticket,” said Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, the only Gen Z member of Congress who endorsed both candidates before the primary. He added, “I think they are going to inspire different groups of people, and they really complement each other.”

Indeed, Jolly and Nixon’s styles contrast sharply. Jolly has refused to debate his Republican opponent, Rep. Byron Donalds, citing toxicity in politics. Meanwhile, Nixon repeatedly chides her GOP opponent, Sen. Ashley Moody, as “Absent Ashley” for refusing to debate her and for holding small, scripted events with limited media.

While Jolly pleads with voters to quash division and reject leaders who “tell us if we just hate each other enough, our life is going to get better,” Nixon calls for her supporters to “get loud” and use “rage and despair as a motivator.” Jolly — who left the Republican Party in 2018 over disagreements with Trump — insists that his election isn’t about litigating the president and that voters are just looking for “normalcy.” Nixon has insisted Trump and the rest of his Cabinet should be impeached.

“I don’t think kindness is a weakness,” Jolly said during an interview in Miami Gardens in late September when asked about his approach to his campaign. “I think kindness is the greatest strength you can bring into politics.”

Jolly then became visibly animated as he elaborated on all the ways he would use his executive authority “as ambitiously as Gov. Ron DeSantis” if he won: pausing the construction of data centers despite expecting a lawsuit, firing Florida Surgeon General and vaccine skeptic Joseph Ladapo and appointing a state education commissioner that “lets teachers teach all of history, not just the favorite parts of some of our white politicians.” He also pledged to roll back the ban on diversity, equity and inclusion policies in local governments.

“Where we can work with Republicans, we’re going to do that too,” he continued. “I’ll call Republicans on election night and say, ‘Let’s not waste the next four years. This is not about antagonism or combat. Let’s work together where we can, and where we can’t, I’m going to use executive authority.’”

Other Democrats note the candidates face advantages and drawbacks with different constituencies, with Nixon demonstrating during the primary that she could energize Black voters, who are the backbone of the Democratic Party and in the last two cycles represented between 13% and 11% of Florida voters who turned out. Yet she has faced criticisms even within her own party over comments and positions she has taken on Israel, including a resolution she introduced in the state House that called for a “de-escalation and cease-fire in the state of Israel and occupied Palestine.”

And fellow Democrats are worried her decision to join the Democratic Socialists of America this year will turn off Hispanic voters, given many of them come from families who fled left-wing dictatorships in Latin America. Since Nixon won her primary, Jolly has said that he disagrees with her views on Israel and socialism but that they share a focus on housing, health care and education.

“For those who don’t like a DEI Democratic Party, that’s what we have given you in this race,” said former Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia of South Florida.

“We have literally covered the spectrum,” he added, pointing to not just Jolly and Nixon but the Democratic candidate for state attorney general, José Javier Rodríguez, who is Cuban American, and the Democratic candidate for Florida chief financial officer, former state Sen. Annette Taddeo, who was born in Colombia. Garcia, who supports all nominees, said that because Nixon is more in line with the Democratic base, if she “performs well, all the others do well.”

Even Nixon’s detractors widely concede the energy she brings to this cycle is something the party hasn’t seen in years. It’s an energy that’s hard to miss on the campaign trail: At a recent rally in Tampa, Nixon — dressed in her signature hot pink — danced into a gymnasium with a marching band behind her. During an interview with Don Lemon at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, she teased her critics with, “I have my unprofessional shoes on today,” as she walked onto the stage wearing pink sneakers in a subtle dig at how Vindman’s wife had criticized her clothes during the primary.

“I know a lot of people say that your girl didn’t have decorum and she lacked professionalism,” Nixon said later in the conversation, “but what good is decorum and professionalism when they are actively destroying our institutions and our democracy?”

One of the key similarities Nixon and Jolly share, however, is the trouble they’ve had getting backing from national Democratic groups.

While cash has poured into other red states and each has enjoyed campaign stops from high-profile figures like Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Nixon and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for Jolly, they haven’t received the tens of millions of dollars many view as necessary to mount a truly aggressive campaign against the GOP big-money and big-registration advantage in Florida.

Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens said he hoped to see more Democratic leaders campaign in the state with their nominees.

“The unfortunate part is that the national Democratic Party could be winners in this situation,” he said, “and show this is what happens when we put our energy behind getting people out to vote and behind candidates.”

Fonte: POLITICO – TOP Stories