The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) is the affiliate of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa * Botswana Democratic Party * Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *De ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...

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 to th ...

, headquartered in

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

. Former mayor of Miami 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 In American politics, the term swing state (also known as battleground state or purple state) refers to any state that could reasonably be won by either the Democratic or Republican candidate in a statewide election, most often referring to pre ...

. 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 Presid ...

, 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.

, the first territorial governor of Florida in 1821, co-founded the

. As Florida moved from territory to statehood status, FDP emerged from the

locofoco The Locofocos (also Loco Focos or Loco-focos) were a faction of the Democratic Party in American politics that existed from 1835 until the mid-1840s. History The faction, originally named the Equal Rights Party, was created in New York City as a ...

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and politi ...

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 policie ...

era. There were no Republican governors from 1877 until 1967, when Claude R. Kirk, a Republican from

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, 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 ...

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 o ...

, 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 United ...

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, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...

), 1996 ( Bill Clinton), 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, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

), and 2012 (

). 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 George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

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 nom ...

. The

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted i ...

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

, 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 Manny Diaz Sr., who succeeded Terrie Rizzo on January 9, 2021.

List of chairs

* Scott Maddox (2003–2005): Maddox, the former mayor of

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

, 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 (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 (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 Deborah Wasserman Schultz (née Wasserman; born September 27, 1966) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from , first elected to Congress in 2004. A member of the Democratic Party, she is a former chair of the Democratic ...

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 party focused on developing web products and established a department for

social media marketing Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for ...

. * 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.

House leaders

* Mark S. Pafford (2014–2016) *

Janet Cruz Janet Cruz (born July 7, 1956) is an American politician who formerly served as a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing part of Hillsborough County and Tampa from 2018 until 2022 before losing re-election, as well as four terms ...

(2016–2018) *

Kionne McGhee Kionne L. McGhee (born November 23, 1977) is an American Democratic politician from Florida who has served as a member of the Miami-Dade County Commission since 2020. Previously, he served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 20 ...

(2018–2020) * Bobby DuBose (2020–2022) * Evan Jenne (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 The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seats have been held by Republicans since

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flori ...

was the last Democrat to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate. First elected in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, 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 Unit ...

to Republican governor

Rick Scott Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers, born December 1, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019. Scot ...

U.S. House of Representatives

Out of the 27 seats Florida is apportioned in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, 11 are held by Democrats:

State

Statewide officials

Democrats control one of the four elected statewide offices: * Commissioner of Agriculture:

Nikki Fried Nicole Heather Fried ( ; born December 13, 1977) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 12th Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Florida commissioner of agriculture from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United Sta ...

State legislative leaders

Senate Minority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

: Lauren Book *

House Minority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...

: Evan Jenne

State Senate

Democrats hold a 16-seat minority in the 40-member

: *SD-03: Loranne Ausley *SD-06: Audrey Gibson *SD-11: Randolph Bracy *SD-13:

Linda Stewart Linda Stewart (born November 23, 1948) is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 13th district, which includes northeast and central Orange County, since 2016. She previously served one term in the Florida House of Represe ...

*SD-15: Victor Torres *SD-18:

*SD-19: Darryl Rouson *SD-29: Tina Polsky *SD-30: Bobby Powell *SD-31: Lori Berman *SD-32: Lauren Book (''Minority Leader'') *SD-33: Rosalind Osgood *SD-34:

Gary Farmer Gary Dale Farmer (born June 12, 1953) is a Canadian actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his role as Nobody in the films ''Dead Man'' (1995) and '' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' (1999), and for his role in '' Smoke Signals'' (1 ...

*SD-35: Shevrin Jones *SD-38: Jason Pizzo *SD-40: Annette Taddeo

State House

Democrats hold a 47-seat minority in the 120-seat

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted i ...

: *HD-08:

Ramon Alexander Ramon J. Alexander (born October 19, 1984) is an American politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2016 to 2022. He represented the 8th district, which includes Gadsden County and sections of Tallahassee in ...

*HD-09: Allison Tant *HD-13: Tracie Davis *HD-14: Angie Nixon *HD-20: Yvonne Hayes Hinson *HD-30: Joy Goff-Marcil *HD-43: Kristen Arrington *HD-44: Geraldine Thompson *HD-45: Kamia Brown *HD-46: Travaris McCurdy *HD-47: Anna Eskamani *HD-48: Daisy Morales *HD-49: Carlos Guillermo Smith *HD-59: Andrew Learned *HD-61: Dianne Hart *HD-62: Susan Valdes *HD-63:

Fentrice Driskell Fentrice DeNell Driskell (born March 3, 1979) is an American lawyer and politician who is the Representative in the Florida House of Representatives from the 63rd House district in Hillsborough County. She is Of Counsel at the law firm of Carlto ...

*HD-68: Ben Diamond *HD-70: Michele Rayner *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 *HD-96: Christine Hunschofsky *HD-97: Dan Daley *HD-98: Michael Gottlieb *HD-99: Evan Jenne (''Minority Leader'') *HD-100: Joe Geller *HD-101: Marie Woodson *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 Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Count ...

(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 ...

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

(4):

Buddy Dyer John Hugh "Buddy" Dyer (born August 7, 1958) is an American politician who is the 32nd Mayor of Orlando. First elected in 2003, he is Orlando's longest-serving mayor. He is a member of the Florida Democratic Party. Previously he represented Or ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(5): Ken Welch *

(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 ''facere'' ...

(9): Dean Trantalis

Former Florida governors and U.S. senators

Governors

United States senators

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