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State News

Florida Democrats look to rebuild as leadership elections take center stage

Orlando, Florida – The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) is set to convene in Orlando on Saturday for an important meeting where party members will choose their new leaders. Set to start at 10 a.m., the assembly at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs Area is expected to attract Democratic delegates from throughout the state, eager to help to define the direction of their party.

The FDP’s chair election forms the central focus of this assembly. The current chair Nikki Fried, who replaced Manny Diaz in 2023, is running for re-election for another two-year term. Among the major difficulties Fried’s presidency has faced include a depressing performance in the most recent 2024 election cycle.

Under her direction, the party experienced multiple disappointments: With a 13-point margin—the biggest in Florida over three decades—Donald Trump guaranteed a strong win over Kamala Harris. Furthermore, U.S. Senator Rick Scott gained his re-election by the same margin—a dramatic change from his past meager successes. Furthermore, Republicans overtook Democrats in terms of the voter registration lead in Florida for the first time in 2021, continue to grow their ranks in the state, and now have a more than 1.1 million lead in the state.

Fried faces competition from Audrey Gibson, a former state senator from the Jacksonville area. Fried, however, has attracted some support on her attempts to steer the group across these stormy seas despite the difficult circumstances. Longtime Democratic National Committee member from Tampa Alan Clendenin complimented Fried’s leadership in difficult circumstances.

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The contest for the FDP’s vice chair is also getting hot. Jayden D’Onofrio, a young political activist and the chair of the Florida Future Leaders PAC, recently withdrew from the contest, leaving Daniel Henry, the Chair of the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee, and potentially former state senator Victor Torres in the fray. In a recent radio interview, Henry underlined the necessity of the party to better explain how its policies affect daily life and to modify its plans to more successfully reach different groups across the state.

The meeting is also important since it is the first under new party policies. The divisive weighted vote system has been eliminated and replaced with a simpler voting system allowing 400 individual voting members dispersed equally over Florida’s 67 counties.

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The stakes are high as the Democrats gather this Saturday, and the results of these elections could point a party seeking to recover ground in one of the most politically active states in the country in new directions. Participants are getting ready for what can be a long day of discussions and decisions vital to the party’s future without a clear finish time for the meeting.

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