Fort Lauderdale— It appears as if the already contentious Democratic Primary race in Florida's 20th District is going to get even uglier, as all the Black candidates in the race appear to be targeting Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) for not living in the minority-majority congressional district.
During the recent Urban League of Broward County forum that took place this past Wednesday, all of the candidates not named Rep. Wasserman Schultz made the case for why this minority-driven congressional seat should be represented by someone who is Black.
Elijah Manley, who appears to be the most outspoken candidate in playing the race card against Wasserman Schultz, alleges that the veteran congresswoman has taken thousands of dollars from special interests, including $20,000 from the "Corrections Corporation of America," AKA CoreCivic.
During the forum, Manley, who said he would join the Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives if elected, directly targeted Wasserman Schultz on several occasions.
Manley's assertion that she has taken money directly from CoreCivic appears to be false. However, Wasserman Schultz does appear to have received campaign donations from lobbyists and other stakeholders in the private prison space.
During that exchange, Manley asked Wasserman Schultz if she would apologize for allegedly taking campaign dollars from CoreCivic.
Staying true to form, Wasserman Schultz rattled off several proven instances where she advocated and supported the closing of private and government prisons and detention centers, including the ominous "Alligator Alcatraz," which has since been closed.
Manley pressed on with his persistence. And it paid off. Wasserman Schultz looked at Manley and directly addressed him, reiterating, "That's my record, and I stand by it."
Without saying it, the attack narrative against Wasserman Schultz could signal that the 20-year congresswoman from Weston, Florida, is hands down the frontrunner in the race, and is seen as the biggest threat to the field of candidates.
Shortly after the forum, The Floridian asked Wasserman Schultz if she felt that all the attacks against her were a sign that she was perceived as a clear threat to her opponents.
Wasserman Schultz or 'DWS' as she is known, reiterated that she was "proud of her record, adding that she was not focused on anyone or anything else but the voters she looks to represent.
As she did in the forum, Wasserman Schultz stayed on message.
"I'm honestly focused on the constituents that I'm seeking to represent, and not so focused on my opponents," she said.
When asked if he saw Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, who is running for re-election, as a threat, Manley gave a mixed message, first saying that he was the former congresswoman as "not really that relevant in the race" before saying that he views all the of his opponents as a threat.
"She’s not really that relevant in the race. In my opinion," said Manley before the pivot.
"I view each and every candidate in the race, I take them all seriously. I am going to treat them all as if they are my top competitor," he added before stating,"Honestly I think this is a race between me and the congresswoman because there's a clearer contrast and a clearer story to be told..."
Recently, Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick said that Wasserman Schultz "part of the erasure" of the Black community.
"And what I'm hearing from the constituents is they feel like, for the first time, a Democrat is part of the erasure, not acknowledging the historical context, not acknowledging the years and the centuries of suppression, fighting people from actually voting.," Cherfilus-McCormick said. "How many people died in order to vote? And so we need people who actually understand the district, who have been in the district, and I'm that person."
"Well, I think we need to make sure that we have people who actually have a connection to the district, and that people are running for the district because they want to help the people, not because it's an opportunity for themselves. Really understanding the community, the nature of it is really what's important," said Cherfilus-McCormick.
The divided between Democrats in this particular congressional primary race is deep. The consensus among the Democrat political class in Florida is that Wasserman Schultz will win by default because the Black candidates in the race will split the minority vote.
The 2026 primary election will take place on August 28.
