The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) is the affiliate of the
Democratic Party in the
U.S. state of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
, headquartered in
Tallahassee. Former
mayor of Miami
Below is a list of Mayors of the City of Miami, Florida, United States.
List of mayors
See also
* Government of the City of Miami
*
* Timeline of Miami
* List of mayors of Miami-Dade County, Florida, 1964–present
* Miami City Hall
Ref ...
Manny Diaz Sr. is the current chair.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
, the first territorial governor of Florida in 1821, co-founded the Democratic Party. After Florida achieved statehood, the party dominated state politics until the 1950s, after which Florida became a
swing state.
Since the passage of the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...
, Florida Democrats have prioritized advocating Medicaid expansion in the state, a policy that would provide a federally subsidized health insurance plan to approximately one million Floridians.
History
The Florida Democratic Party has historically dominated Florida's state and local politics.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
, the first territorial governor of Florida in 1821, co-founded the
Democratic Party. As Florida moved from territory to statehood status, FDP emerged from the
locofocos.
John Milton led the party, and became governor of the state, during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
era.
There were no
Republican governors from 1877 until 1967, when
Claude R. Kirk, a Republican from
Jacksonville, was sworn in as governor of Florida.
Florida politics was largely dominated by the Democrats until
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's
Southern strategy
In American politics, the Southern strategy was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. As the civil rights movement and dismantling of ...
, which took advantage of objections to the advances of the
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
which resulted in a regional political
realignment for the South. After Nixon's victory in 1968, the state voted Democratic in only four presidential elections: 1976 (
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
), 1996 (
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
), 2008 (
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
), and 2012 (
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
). The presidential election in 2000 was decided by a margin of 537 votes out of approximately six million cast in the state, earning
George W. Bush the presidency over
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...
.
The
Florida Senate was dominated by Democrats until 1992, when a majority of Republicans was elected. The Florida House of Representatives turned Republican after the November 1996 election. The Florida Legislature became the first legislature in any of the states of the former
Confederacy to come under complete Republican control when the Republicans gained control of the House and Senate in the 1996 election.
Since the passage of the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...
, Florida Democrats have prioritized advocating Medicaid expansion in the state, a policy that would provide a federally subsidized healthcare plan to approximately one million Floridians.
Governance
The current chairman of the FDP is former
Mayor of Miami
Below is a list of Mayors of the City of Miami, Florida, United States.
List of mayors
See also
* Government of the City of Miami
*
* Timeline of Miami
* List of mayors of Miami-Dade County, Florida, 1964–present
* Miami City Hall
Ref ...
Manny Diaz Sr., who succeeded Terrie Rizzo on January 9, 2021.
List of chairs
*
Scott Maddox
Scott Charles Maddox (born March 13, 1968) is an American politician. He was the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, from 1995 to 1996 and from 1997 to 2005. Maddox is the former chair of the Florida Democratic Party and a former Tallahassee City Comm ...
(2003–2005): Maddox, the former mayor of
Tallahassee, Florida, served as FDP chairman from 2003 to 2006, leaving the post to run for governor. The Associated Press noted that while Democrats suffered electoral defeats during his tenure, party activists recognized he had built up the party's infrastructure and volunteer base."
*
Karen Thurman
Karen L. Thurman (born January 12, 1951) is a former U.S. Representative from Florida, serving five consecutive terms from 1993 to 2003. She is a Democrat.
Early life and education
She was born on January 12, 1951, in Rapid City, South Dakota, ...
(2005–2010): Thurman, a former five-term member of Congress from Florida's 5th District, served from 2005 to 2010. She was elected chairman of the FDP in 2005, succeeding Scott Maddox, who resigned in order to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Thurman resigned on November 12, 2010, following the midterm elections.
*
Rod Smith (2010–2013): In November 2010, Smith was elected chairman of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP), succeeding Karen Thurman who resigned on November 12, 2010, following the midterm elections. Smith, a former Alachua County state prosecutor and state senator from the 14th district, became chair following his unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor in 2010. Smith's term expired in January 2013, when he was succeeded by Allison Tant.
*
Allison Tant
Allison Tant (born 1961) is an American former lobbyist, Democratic Party of Florida chair, and politician serving as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 9th district. She assumed office on November 3, 2020.
Early life an ...
(2014–2016): In December 2013, former lobbyist, philanthropist, and Democratic fundraiser Allison Tant announced she would seek the chairmanship of the FDP. She was elected in January 2014, after a closely contested race against Hillsborough state committeeman Alan Clendenin.
After large national losses in 2014,
Debbie Wasserman Schultz commissioned the Victory Task Force to "take a deep dive" to figure out what went wrong in 2014.
Similarly, Chair Tant created the state-level LEAD Task Force, to learn the lessons of the statewide Democratic defeat.
*Stephen Bittel (2016–2017): Bittel, who founded Terranova in 1980, is still an active Democrat in the state. He was chosen primarily for his fundraising ability after the 2016 election, but many critics noted his ability to curry influence with his immense wealth. In November 2017, he was accused of inappropriate office behavior, and subsequently left his role.
*Terrie Rizzo (2017–2021): In December 2017, Rizzo was elected to replace Stephen Bittel, defeating Stacey Patel in an 830–291 vote. During Rizzo's term as chair and as a consequence of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the party focused on developing web products and established a department for
social media marketing.
*
Manny Diaz (2021–present), In January 2021, Diaz was elected with 54% from party leaders to replace Terrie Rizzo. Diaz was elected partly to bring outreach from the Cuban-American community, which was a voting bloc that helped Donald Trump win the state in the
2020 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
** ...
.
House leaders
*
Mark S. Pafford (2014–2016)
*
Janet Cruz (2016–2018)
*
Kionne McGhee (2018–2020)
*
Bobby DuBose
Bobby Brainard DuBose (born February 15, 1971) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 94th District, which includes most of Fort Laude ...
(2020–2022)
*
Evan Jenne
Evan Boyd Jenne (born September 4, 1977) is an American Democratic politician who had served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 99th District, which included most of Hollywood in southern Broward County, from 2 ...
(2022–present)
Organization
The State Executive Committee of the Florida Democratic Party is organized into six standing committees. Standing committees include: the Rules Committee, the Judicial Council, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Committee on Clubs, Organizations, and Caucuses, the Legislative Liaison Committee, and the Campaign Committee.
Platform
The Florida Democratic Party has adopted a platform that covers a wide range of topics and issues under the following headings:
*Access to Healthcare
*An Economy That Works for Everyone
*Quality Education
*Protecting our Environment
*Immigration Reform
*Preventing Gun Violence
*Civil Rights
*Government Accountability
*Protecting Voting Rights
*Women and Families
Current elected officials
The following is a list of Democratic statewide, federal, and legislative officeholders as of October 23, 2018:
Members of Congress
U.S. Senate
*None
Both of Florida's
U.S. Senate seats have been held by
Republicans since
2019.
Bill Nelson was the last Democrat to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate. First elected in
2000, Nelson lost his bid for a fourth term in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
to Republican governor
Rick Scott.
U.S. House of Representatives
Out of the 27 seats Florida is apportioned in the
U.S. House of Representatives, 11 are held by Democrats:
State
Statewide officials
Democrats control one of the four elected statewide offices:
*
Commissioner of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...
:
Nikki Fried
State legislative leaders
*
Senate Minority Leader:
Lauren Book
Lauren Frances Book (born October 12, 1984) is an American politician and former educator who has served in the Florida Senate since 2016, representing parts of Broward County. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been the Senate's minority ...
*
House Minority Leader:
Evan Jenne
Evan Boyd Jenne (born September 4, 1977) is an American Democratic politician who had served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 99th District, which included most of Hollywood in southern Broward County, from 2 ...
State Senate
Democrats hold a 16-seat minority in the 40-member
Florida Senate:
*SD-03:
Loranne Ausley
Loranne Ausley (born October 16, 1963) is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Tallahassee, Florida. She served as a member of the Florida Senate from 2020 until her defeat in 2022, representing Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gul ...
*SD-06:
Audrey Gibson
Audrey Gibson (born March 15, 1956) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 6th district, which includes sections of downtown Jacksonville in Duval County, since 2016. She previously repr ...
*SD-11:
Randolph Bracy
Randolph Bracy III (born April 23, 1977) is an American politician who is a member of the Florida Senate from the 11th district. Bracy's district includes parts of central and northwest Orange County. Bracy is the first African American to serve ...
*SD-13:
Linda Stewart
*SD-15:
Victor Torres
*SD-18:
Janet Cruz
*SD-19:
Darryl Rouson
*SD-29:
Tina Polsky
Tina Scott Polsky (born May 4, 1968) is an American politician serving as a United States Democratic Party, Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 29th district since 2020. Her Senate district includes parts of southern Palm Be ...
*SD-30:
Bobby Powell
*SD-31:
Lori Berman
*SD-32:
Lauren Book
Lauren Frances Book (born October 12, 1984) is an American politician and former educator who has served in the Florida Senate since 2016, representing parts of Broward County. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been the Senate's minority ...
(''Minority Leader'')
*SD-33:
Rosalind Osgood
*SD-34:
Gary Farmer
*SD-35:
Shevrin Jones
Shevrin D. Jones (born October 12, 1983) is an American politician from the state of Florida. He was elected to the Florida State Senate in 2020 to represent the 35th District. He previously was a Democratic member of the Florida House of Represe ...
*SD-38:
Jason Pizzo
Jason William Barnet Pizzo is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Florida Senate for the 38th district from 2018 to 2022. Prior to his election, Pizzo was an Assistant State Attorney, with the Miami Dade State Attorn ...
*SD-40:
Annette Taddeo
Annette Joanne Taddeo-Goldstein (née Taddeo; born April 7, 1967) is a Colombian-American politician and businesswoman serving as a member of the Florida Senate from the 40th district. She was an unsuccessful candidate for several elections star ...
State House
Democrats hold a 47-seat minority in the 120-seat
Florida House of Representatives:
*HD-08:
Ramon Alexander
*HD-09:
Allison Tant
Allison Tant (born 1961) is an American former lobbyist, Democratic Party of Florida chair, and politician serving as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 9th district. She assumed office on November 3, 2020.
Early life an ...
*HD-13:
Tracie Davis
*HD-14:
Angie Nixon
*HD-20:
Yvonne Hayes Hinson
Yvonne Hayes Hinson is an American politician who currently serves as the representative for Florida House of Representatives District 20 as a member of the Democratic Party.
Career
She was elected to the State House in 2020.
She endorsed Ch ...
*HD-30:
Joy Goff-Marcil
*HD-43:
Kristen Arrington
*HD-44:
Geraldine Thompson
Geraldine Fortenberry Thompson (born November 18, 1948) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who currently serves as a member of the Florida State Senate from the 15th district. She served as a member of the Florida Hous ...
*HD-45:
Kamia Brown
*HD-46:
Travaris McCurdy
*HD-47:
Anna Eskamani
*HD-48:
Daisy Morales
Daisy Morales (born December 11, 1960) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives of district 48, serving Orange County from 2020. She has previously served on the Orange County board a ...
*HD-49:
Carlos Guillermo Smith
Carlos Guillermo Smith (born December 31, 1980) is an American community activist, lobbyist, and politician. A Democrat, he served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from District 49, which covered the University of Central Flori ...
*HD-59:
Andrew Learned
*HD-61:
Dianne Hart
*HD-62:
Susan Valdes
*HD-63:
Fentrice Driskell
*HD-68:
Ben Diamond
*HD-70:
Michele Rayner
Michele Rayner-Goolsby (born September 25, 1981) is an American attorney and politician. She has served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2020, representing District 70 in Pinellas County, Florida, Pinellas, Hillsborough C ...
*HD-81:
Kelly Skidmore
*HD-86:
Matt Willhite
*HD-87:
David Silvers
*HD-88:
Jervonte Edmonds
*HD-90:
Joseph Casello
*HD-91:
Emily Slosberg
*HD-92:
Patricia Hawkins-Williams
*HD-95:
Anika Omphroy
Anika Tene Omphroy is an American politician serving as a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2018. Omphroy represents the State's 95th House District, which includes part of Broward County. She is a member of the Democratic Party ...
*HD-96:
Christine Hunschofsky
Christine Hunschofsky is an American politician from the state of Florida. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, she has been a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2020, after serving as the mayor of Parkland, Florida, P ...
*HD-97:
Dan Daley
*HD-98:
Michael Gottlieb
*HD-99:
Evan Jenne
Evan Boyd Jenne (born September 4, 1977) is an American Democratic politician who had served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 99th District, which included most of Hollywood in southern Broward County, from 2 ...
(''Minority Leader'')
*HD-100:
Joe Geller
*HD-101:
Marie Woodson
Marie Paule Woodson is an American politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 101st district from 2020 to 2022. Due to redistricting, she is now the representative for the 105th district.
Early life and ed ...
*HD-102:
Felicia Robinson
*HD-104:
Robin Bartleman
*HD-107:
Christopher Benjamin
*HD-108:
Dotie Joseph
*HD-109:
James Bush III
*HD-112:
Nicholas Duran
*HD-113:
Michael Grieco
*HD-117:
Kevin Chambliss
Mayoral offices
Some of the state's major cities have Democratic mayors. As of 2019, Democrats control the mayor's offices in five of Florida's ten largest cities:
*
Tampa (3):
Jane Castor
Jane Castor (born December 7, 1960) is an American politician and former police chief serving as the 59th mayor of Tampa, Florida.
She was the first woman and first openly gay person to serve as Chief of Police of the Tampa Police Department f ...
*
Orlando (4):
Buddy Dyer
*
St. Petersburg (5):
Ken Welch
Kenneth T. Welch (born August 15, 1964) is an American politician serving as mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, Welch served on the county commission of Pinellas County, Florida. Welch is the city’s first Africa ...
*
Tallahassee (7):
John Dailey
*
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facer ...
(9):
Dean Trantalis
Former Florida governors and U.S. senators
Governors
United States senators
See also
*
Democratic Black Caucus of Florida
*
Democratic Party (United States) organizations
*
Political party strength in Florida
The following tables indicate party affiliation in the U.S. state of Florida for the individual elected offices of:
* Governor
* Lieutenant Governor
*Attorney General
*Chief Financial Officer
* Commissioner of Agriculture
As well as the followin ...
*
Political party strength in the United States
References
External links
Florida Democratic PartyFlorida College DemocratsDemocratic Women's Club of FloridaDemocratic Caribbean Caucus of FloridaDemocratic Black Caucus of Florida
{{Authority control
Democratic Party (United States) by state
Politics of Florida
Political parties in Florida
1834 establishments in Florida Territory
Political parties established in 1834