After the abysmal 2014 election cycle, democrats around the state have cautiously been searching for a sign of change from the Florida Democratic Party. While small changes have surfaced – the questionable LEAD Committee and the announcement of a new party position – for the most part, the blue voters who have been waiting for signs of improvement have been left profoundly underwhelmed. The party has now had months to make changes in order to rebuild after their defeat, yet they have done little to do so in a public manner that restores faith. With confidence so low moving into the 2016 election cycle, many were looking towards the new hire as a last chance for the party to change direction. This is after all a political party that has lost 17 of the last 18 elections for Governor & Cabinet, a number so improbable particularly in a purple state that it makes places like Kansas and Arizona look like bastions of blue.

However, the hire chosen today has left more questions than answers. This afternoon, it was announced that Phillip Thompson was hired for the post of deputy executive director. Thompson, who is most famous for running Alison Lundergan Grimes’s failed Senate campaign against Mitch McConnell, has an excellent resume for the job. However, while he is clearly qualified, he has never won a major campaign and has few ties to Florida and the unique political landscape of this state. This raises a lot of flags among activists around the state, who were desperately looking for a sign of hope. This hire leaves a lot of questions.

If the party situation were different, of course it would make sense to hire a young hot-shot campaign manager fresh of a major race. However, the state of the Florida Democratic Party is such that they are unable to put together winning campaigns and bringing someone on board who has never won a state-wide race simply invites more criticism. They needed to bring someone on board capable of winning and it is hard to believe this was the best that they could do. While this should not be a reflection on Thompson himself, it does highlight the fact that the Florida Democratic Party fundamentally does not understand what it needs to change the dynamics of the game. Although there are a variety of factors that give Republicans the edge in Florida, the fact that so many districts that were won by Obama, Crist, and/or Sink have Republican legislators shows how challenged the party is with basic fundamentals of running a cohesive state party.

Thompson has a great resume and he is capable of doing what he was hired to do, no doubt. However, the Florida Democratic Party clearly did not understand what they truly needed to hire: they needed to find someone who would inspire confidence and add legitimacy. It was necessary for the party to hire someone who inspires confidence in the party moving into 2016 and this hire simply falls short. Although no fault of Phillip Thompson, he has his work cut out for him.

While many, including us here at the Squeeze, have called for changes at the top of the party, this hire leaves a lot of questions beyond the decision of Thompson. While the position will hypothetically help Scott Arceneaux, it is widely speculated that this position was created to help quell the increasing calls for Arceneaux to resign. The Executive Director is now in his fourth cycle in the job even though previously E.D’s with better electoral performances were generally replaced quickly. Combined with the curious case of Christian Ulvert, who appears to be still working for the party (more on this in the coming days), it seems that no one is really sure who is calling all the shots inside the building. While rumors flew that Ulvert had been let go as early as mid-November, it seems that nobody is really aware of his exact relationship with the party. The fact that he still has a seat at the table after his mishandling of the 2014 cycle is even more cause for concern. Combined with the questionable leadership of Allison Tant, it seems that there is more a circus than a plan.

No matter how good or bad Thompson turns out to be, hiring a new hot shot recruit is never going to fundamentally fix dysfunction in a team. The reality of the situation is that the party continues to be controlled by a small group of individuals with little accountability and decision-making is usually done in the dark with little analysis. While Thompson looks incredibly qualified, he is not going to address the real problems with the party. However, if Thompson knew anything about Florida, he should have known he was walking into a hot mess.