Category Florida Democrats
Comparing Dem County Performance in 1994 and 2010 Governor’s Races
The Democrats last won a Governor’s election in 1994, which was a historically bad year for Democrats on the national level. The next three Governor’s races in better Democratic years (relatively speaking in the case of 2002) were landslide Republican victories but in 2010, a horrible Democratic year, Alex Sink almost won the Governorship. What […]
Environmental issues key to Democratic recovery on the Treasure Coast and in SW Florida
Despite recent progress, Democrats suffered some serious backsliding in growing southwest Florida and the Treasure Coast (minus St Lucie County which has acted more as an appendage of southeast Florida, than like northern Palm Beach, Martin or Indian River counties in recent elections) in last November’s election. My explanation for this is simple: when Democrats […]
Alex Sink’s comments about Charlie Crist strike a chord with Democratic activists
Alex Sink’s much talked about comments to the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday were well-timed given the growing resentment of Charlie Crist’s seemingly inevitable candidacy among Democratic activists. Reaction from the Jefferson-Jackson dinner among activists has been one of consternation as party elites push Crist’s possible candidacy. It is worth noting that Senator Nan Rich […]
JJ: Charlie Crist gets big reception from party insiders but questions remain among activists
Florida’s top Democrats gave Charlie Crist, once the lead partisan attack dog against the late Governor Lawton Chiles a welcome Saturday night befitting of a conquering hero. Crist was the celebrity who stole the show at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner by most accounts. But for a party who seeks to be values based, this is a […]
Zest of the Day: Florida Democrats converge on Hollywood for annual gathering
The epicenter of the world was Hollywood, Florida at least for a few hours on Saturday. More from the Sun Sentinel.
J-J Early Returns: Allison Tant led FDP sets fundraising record; House Democrats air differences
The annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner is currently underway in Hollywood. Coming into this weekend many questions were being asked about the unity of the party, the effectiveness of fundraising and whether or not a coup would occur in the House caucus. Allison Tant’s first quarter fundraising for the FDP was unimpressive but tonight’s J-J dinner has […]
Zest of the Day: 5 reasons Democrats struggle to win Florida elections
Excellent breakdown from the Sun Sentinel’s Tony Man about the continued failures of Democrats statewide and the challenges facing the party in another off-year election cycle. A reminder that Democrats have lost 13 of the last 14 races for Governor and Cabinet, a record worse than any other state east of the Mississippi in the […]
Can J-J Weekend heal a wounded party?
Florida Democrats have had an interesting few weeks. A poorly planned Jefferson-Jackson program turned into a poorly executed spin machine after the Nan Rich’s speaking snub became public. The public explanations for not allowing Senator Rich to speak have been poorly thought out and have left more questions than answers. However, in recent days the […]
Exclusive: More on proposed House Caucus rules changes – Caution must be used in implementation
On Tuesday the Sunshine State News broke the story about proposed rules changes in the Democratic House Caucus that could lead to expulsion of members for voting against a caucus position. While this appears to be a good idea to create some degree of party discipline that has been lacking in recent sessions some of […]
Do some Democratic “leaders” have issues with successful progressive females?
Recent events in the Democratic Party, particularly in Palm Beach County have me pondering this question again. In 2002, as a former local party employee who was working with the state party and several local DECs at the time, I strongly backed Janet Reno’s candidacy as an individual (not using my party positions to promote […]
The Florida Squeeze 