A month out from the November general election, the Florida Democratic Party announced Friday the launch of its "Take Back Florida Distinction" program to spotlight and assist liberal candidates in the state's most competitive races.
The party says the 21 candidates were selected through a "rigorous" application and vetting process and will have access to grassroots fundraising opportunities. All are running against incumbent Republicans or previously red seats in hopes of flipping them blue.
“We’ve spent the last two years rebuilding the image and infrastructure of the Florida Democratic Party, and we’re ready to prove to Florida and the rest of the country that Democrats can have success here,” Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement released Friday afternoon, pointing out that most recently, Democrat Rep. Tom Keen managed to flip a red seat blue in a special election earlier this year.
"These candidates will break the Republican supermajority in the Florida House and provide backup for Democrats in the U.S. House and Florida Senate," she continued. "The enthusiasm on the ground in Florida right now is contagious, and our candidates are well-positioned to take advantage of that and fight for these seats in November.”
This is a tall ask in a state that hasn't elected a statewide Democrat since 2018, has over one million more registered Republicans than Democrats, Republican supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, and a Republican governor. However, Democrats are holding out hope: recent polling shows U.S. Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat and former Congresswoman, trailing incumbent Sen. Rick Scott by between two and eight points, increasing Democrats' hope that "Florida is in play".
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, leads Vice President Kamala Harris by just two points in Florida in a new poll, further enlivening Florida Democrats. In an ever-reddening state once considered a purple battleground, new small-point loss margins for Democrats can be crucial.
Here are the 21 Take Back Florida Distinction candidates:
-
CONGRESS
-
Whitney Fox, Congressional District 13 (Incumbent Anna Paulina Luna)
-
Pat Kemp, Congressional District 15 (Incumbent Laurel Lee)
-
Lucia Baez-Geller, Congressional District 27 (Incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar)
-
Phil Ehr, Congressional District 28 (Incumbent Carlos Gimenez)
-
-
STATE LEGISLATURE
-
Daryl Parks, Florida Senate District 3 (Incumbent Corey Simon)
-
David Arreola, Florida House District 22 (Termed-out Chuck Clemons, nominee Chad Johnson)
-
Kelly Diona Miller, Florida House District 36 (Incumbent Rachel Plakon)
-
Nate Douglas, Florida House District 37 (Incumbent Susan Plasencia)
-
Sarah Henry, Florida House District 38 (Incumbent David Smith)
-
Marsha Summersill, Florida House District 39 (Incumbent Doug Bankson)
-
Leonard Spencer, Florida House District 45 (Incumbent Carolina Amesty)
-
Maria Revelles, Florida House District 47 (Incumbent Paula Stark)
-
Nathan Bruemmer, Florida House District 61 (Incumbent Linda Chaney)
-
Ashley T. Brundage, Florida House District 65 (Incumbent Karen Gonzalez Pittman)
-
Derek Reich, Florida House District 73 (Incumbent Fiona McFarland)
-
Jay Shooster, Florida House District 91 (Incumbent Peggy Gossett-Seidman)
-
Rachelle Litt, Florida House District 94 (Termed-out Rick Roth, nominee Meg Weinberger)
-
Joe Saunders, Florida House District 106 (Incumbent Fabian Basabe)
-
Laura Kelley, Florida House District 111 (Incumbent David Borrero)
-
Jacqueline Gross-Kellogg, Florida House District 113 (Incumbent Vicki Lopez)
-
Norma Perez-Schwartz, Florida House District 115 (Resigned Alina Garcia, nominee Omar Blanco)
-
The election is Nov. 5.
