Fried Responds to Departure of Hillary Cassel

Florida State Rep. Hillary Cassel (R) announced last week that she was leaving the Democratic Party. The announcement added further momentum to the GOP in the sunshine state after a decisive win in the 2024 election. During a time when Democrats are moving away from the party because of platform disagreements, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried (D) is calling for a time of “leadership and self-reflection.”

In early December, Florida state Rep. Susan Valdez (R) announced that she would be leaving the Democratic Party, and state Rep. Cassel marks the second lawmaker to switch parties in the same month.

Florida Republicans have welcomed both lawmakers with open arms, and President-elect Donald Trump (R)commented on state Rep. Cassel’s departure this week, calling on other “Disillusioned Democrats” to join the GOP.

Democrats on the other hand are not happy about the departments, and Chair Fried is making it clear that Democrats like state Rep. Cassel have disappointed the progressive movement.

“Now is not the time to back down and walk away, it’s a time for leadership and self-reflection,” She commented in a statement released over the weekend. “Floridians put their trust and faith in Representative Hillary Cassel to fight for them but unfortunately today, they lost representation in the Florida House,” Chair Fried added.

Calling her decision to change her political affiliation “deeply disappointing,” the Democratic Party chair commented that “Florida Democrats face an uphill battle but that doesn’t mean we give up.”

Instead, Chair Fried suggested that Democrats should focus on the nearly 3.5 million Democrats in the sunshine state and the millions more across the U.S. that believe in the party’s values.

“They are counting on us to continue fighting for them to create a state that is truly free and affordable for all – and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” she concluded.