EXCLUSIVE: Nikki Fried Looks to Rebrand Florida Democrats as FDP Chairwoman

According to Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D), Florida Democrats lacks leadership and needs to have a “come to Jesus moment” if it were to have any chance of challenging the Gov. Ron DeSantis-led Florida GOP.

Former State Senator Annette Taddeo has decided to run for chairman of the Florida Democratic Party and has garnered widespread support from Democratically elected officials, but many within her political party were not convinced about her candidacy and have lobbied former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to run for the job instead.

After thinking it over, Fried has decided to run for the chairmanship of her political party.

Fried recently spoke to The Floridian about her race against Sen. Taddeo and offered insight about how she will fix and rebuild the broken Florida Democratic Party that was recently “crushed” in the 2022 midterm election according to Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

"I can assure the pillow man. We got crushed. No conspiracy here.”—Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

“It's about the people and our state. It’s about one-party control of the state, really one person, and Democracy going by the wayside,” said Fried on why she decided to run. “If I have the opportunity to lift the party and bring back democracy to our state,  I was willing to be part of the rebuilding of the Democratic Party.”

To raise the sunken Democratic Party ship from the depths of the political ocean, Democrats need to “stop internal fighting, regain trust, and rebrand,” said Fried.

Fried believes that the “rebranding” she feels needs to happen starts by abandoning the belief in Socialism, which has proven to be a failing proposition for Democrats the past couple of election cycles.

Fried, who ran and lost her Democratic gubernatorial primary race in 2022, continued where she left off in criticizing Gov. DeSantis, who she believes is leading a “radicalized Republican Party” and continues “stripping power” away from the Florida Legislature.

“He has spent the last 5  years stripping power away  from the legislation, cabinet, and removing people,” said Fried, before adding that DeSantis has also been “ pushing his will in the K-12 education system by “banning books” and  “going after the cruise industry and Disney.”

The recent  Republican Party of Florida  (RPOF)chairman’s election brought in new blood with Vice Chairman Christian Ziegler being elected chairman and Chair of Chairs Evan Power being tapped as vice chairman.

Unlike their Democratic counterparts, the RPOF appears unified going into the 2024 Presidential election cycle, but that leadership Fried believes is driven by a “cult-like mentality” and extremism.

Fried, who believes that her job is to “make sure” her political party “ is ready once the pendulum swings back,” reiterated her belief that the RPOF is a “radicalized Republican Party,” stating, “ The GOP that I used to know were true Conservatives, who believed in less taxes, less government, does not exist anymore.”

Fried’s criticism of the RPOF was met by a sharp rebuke by Chairman Ziegler, who may have signaled that Fried is more of a threat than Taddeo, calling her “ineffective” and the “ideal candidate for Democrats” to elect.

“After four years of being a statewide elected official, Fried’s own Democrast overwhelmingly rejected her. A clear showcase that she will not be able to effectively energize and mobilize the Party she wants to lead or the Independents she needs to win over. As the Florida GOP Chairman, I cannot think of a more ineffective, yet ideal candidate for the Democrats to send into battle against us,” stated Ziegler in a response for comment.

Fried concluded by agreeing with Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick that Florida Democrats needed that “come to Jesus moment” and that “regardless of who wins,” her party needs to unite in order to have any chance of stopping DeSantis and the RPOF in 2024.

Florida Democrats will vote for a new leader on Saturday, February 23 in Maitland.