Florida Democratic Party

Florida Democratic Party
Chairman Terrie Rizzo
Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon
House Minority Leader Janet Cruz
Founded 1834 (1834)
Headquarters 214 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Student wing Florida College Democrats
Youth wing Florida Young Democrats
Women's wing Democratic Women’s Club of Florida
Ideology Majority:
 • Modern liberalism[1][2]
 • Social liberalism[3]
Factions:
 • Centrism[4][5]
 • Conservatism[5]
 • Democratic socialism[6][7][8][9]
 • Left-wing populism[10][11][12]
 • Progressivism[13]
 • Social democracy[14]
National affiliation Democratic Party
Colors           Azure, green
Senate
16 / 40
House of Representatives
41 / 120
U.S. Senate
1 / 2
U.S. House of Representatives
10 / 27
Website
Official Website

The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) is the official branch of the United States Democratic Party in the State of Florida.

History

The Florida Democratic Party has historically dominated Florida's state and local politics. As Florida moved from territory to statehood status, the Florida Democratic Party emerged out of the locofocos.[15] John Milton (Florida politician) led the party and became governor during the Civil War era.[16]

There were no Republican Governors from 1877 until 1967, when Claude R. Kirk, a Republican from Jacksonville, was sworn-in as Governor of Florida.

Florida politics was largely dominated by the Democrats until Nixon's southern strategy, which took advantage of white objections to the advances of the Civil Rights Movement which resulted in a regional political realignment for the south. After Nixon's victory in 1968, the state voted Democratic in only four Presidential elections: 1976 (Jimmy Carter), 1996 (Bill Clinton), 2008, and 2012 (Barack Obama). The presidential election in 2000 was decided by a margin of 537 votes out of approximately 6 million cast, earning George W. Bush the presidency over Al Gore.

The Florida Senate was dominated by Democrats until 1992, when a majority of Republicans was elected. The Florida House of Representatives turned Republican after the November 1996 election. Since then, the number of Democrats in both chambers have continued to drop. The Florida Legislature became the first legislature in any of the states of the former confederacy to come under complete Republican control when the Republicans gained control of the House and Senate in the 1996 election. However, in the 2006 election the Democrats actually gained seats in the State House, the first instance of this occurring since the early 1980s.

In the 2006 election, the Democratic nominee for governor was U.S. Representative Jim Davis from Tampa, Florida. He lost the election to Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist.

The most Democratic region of the state is South Florida, which contains the large cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The Tampa Bay region is also relatively Democratic, although it has become much more competitive in recent electoral cycles. Leon County, which contains the state capitol of Tallahassee and Florida State University, and Alachua County, home to the city of Gainesville and the University of Florida, are also strong Democratic areas. North Florida and the panhandle are also very Democratic on the local level, although those two regions are solid Republican strongholds in presidential elections.

Florida Democrats demanded, on March 13, 2008, a new primary vote, and state party officials have a proposal for recouping the 210 delegates the Sunshine State lost when it moved its primary ahead of the approved time frame.[17] After weeks of negotiations, the Florida Democratic Party said March 17, 2008 it would not hold a second primary in the state.[18]

The current chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party is Judy Mount, who is serving on an interim basis after succeeding Stephen Bittel on January 26, 2013.[19]

The Florida Democratic Party under recent state chairs

Scott Maddox

Scott Maddox, the former mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, served as FDP Chair from 2003 to 2006, leaving the post to run for governor. The Associated Press noted that while Democrats suffered electoral defeats during his tenure, party activists "recogniz[ed] he had built up the party's infrastructure and volunteer base."[20]

Karen Thurman

Karen Thurman, a former 5-term members of Congress from Florida's 5th District, served from 2005 to 2010. In 2005 Thurman was elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP), succeeding Chairman Scott Maddox, who resigned in order to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Thurman resigned on November 12, 2010 following the midterm elections.[21]

Rod Smith

In November 2010, Rod Smith was elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP), succeeding Karen Thurman who resigned on November 12, 2010 following the midterm elections.[22] Smith, a former Alachua County State Prosecutor and State Senator from the 14th district, became chair following his unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor in 2010.[23] Smith's term expired in January 2013, when he was succeeded by Allison Tant.[24]

Allison Tant

In December 2013, former lobbyist, philanthropist, and Democratic fundraiser[25] Allison Tant announced she would seek the chairmanship of the Florida Democratic Party.[26] She was elected in January, 2014, after a closely contested race against Hillsborough State Committeeman Alan Clendenin.[24]

After large national losses in 2014, Debbie Wasserman Schultz commissioned the Victory Task Force to "take a deep dive" to figure out what went wrong in 2014.[27] Similarly, Chair Tant created the state-level LEAD Task Force, to learn the lessons of the statewide Democratic defeat.[27]

Stephen Bittel

Stephen Bittel is still an active Democrat in the state and has been the founder of Terranova since 1980[28]. He was chosen primarily for his fundraising ability after the 2016 election, but many critics noted his ability to curry influence with his immense wealth.[29] In November 2017, Stephen Bittel was accused of inappropriate office behavior and subsequently left his role.

Terrie Rizzo

In December 2017, Terrie Rizzo was elected to replace Stephen Bittel, defeating Stacey Patel in an 830-291 vote.[30] [31]

Current federal Democratic officeholders

United States Senate

Photo U.S. Senators
Bill Nelson, Senior Member of the United States Senate from the state of Florida.

United States House of Representatives

Photo U.S. Representatives
Al Lawson, 5th District- Jacksonville, Tallahassee
Stephanie Murphy, 7th District- Winter Park, St. Augustine
Darren Soto, 9th District- Orlando, Kissimmee, St. Cloud.
Val Demings, 10th District- Orlando, Ocoee, Winter Garden
Charlie Crist, 13th District- St. Petersburg, Dunedin
Kathy Castor, 14th District- Tampa, St. Petersburg.
Alcee Hastings, 20th District- West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, Delray Beach.
Ted Deutch, 21st District- Greenacres, Coral Springs.
Lois Frankel, 22nd District- Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 23rd District- Miami, Pompano Beach, Weston.
Frederica Wilson, 24th District- North Miami, Miramar.

Former Florida Governors and U.S. Senators

Governors

Photo Former Governors of Florida
Buddy MacKay
Lawton Chiles
Wayne Mixson
Bob Graham
Reubin Askew
W. Haydon Burns
C. Farris Bryant
LeRoy Collins
Daniel McCarty
Fuller Warren
Miller Caldwell
Spessard Holland
Fred Cone
David Sholtz
Doyle Carlton
John Martin
Cary Hardee
Park Trammell
Albert Gilchrist
Napoleon Broward
William Jennings
William Bloxham
Henry Mitchell
Francis Fleming
Edward Perry
William Bloxham
George Drew
Abraham Allison
John Milton
Madison Perry
James Broome
William Moseley

United States Senators

Photo Former U.S. Senators from Florida
Bob Graham
Lawton Chiles
Richard Stone
George Smathers
Spessard Holland
Charles Andrews
Scott Loftin
Claude Pepper
William Luther Hill
Park Trammell
Nathan Bryan
James Taliaferro
Duncan Fletcher
William Milton
William James Bryan
Samuel Pasco
Charles Jones
Stephen Mallory II
Wilkinson Call
Stephen Mallory
James Westcott
David Levy Yulee

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "President Obama, the Democratic Party, and Socialism: A Political Science Perspective". The Huffington Post. June 29, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  3. ↑ Paul Starr. "Center-Left Liberalism". Princeton University. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ Hale, John (1995). The Making of the New Democrats. New York: Political Science Quarterly. p. 229. Second, insofar as Democrats in Congress are roughly split into liberal and centrist wings.
  5. 1 2 Dewan, Shaila; Kornblut, Anne E. (October 30, 2006). "In Key House Races, Democrats Run to the Right". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  6. ↑ Delk, Josh (May 2, 2018). "Clinton: Being a capitalist 'probably' hurt me with Dem voters". The Hill. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  7. ↑ Debebedetti, Gabriel (February 22, 2016). "Poll: Majority of Democrats say socialism has 'positive impact'". Politico. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Democrats more divided on socialism", YouGov, January 28, 2016, retrieved May 4, 2018
  9. ↑ Marcin, Tim (June 28, 2017). "Democrats Want a Socialist to Lead Their Party More Than a Capitalist". Newsweek. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  10. ↑ Goldfarb, Zachary A (November 30, 2013). "More liberal, populist movement emerging in Democratic Party ahead of 2016 elections". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ Etzioni, Amitai (January 8, 2015). "The Left's Unpopular Populism". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ↑ Shahid, Waleed (December 15, 2016). "America in Populist Times: An Interview With Chantal Mouffe". The Nation. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  13. ↑ Ball, Molly. "The Battle Within the Democratic Party". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  14. ↑ Raza, Syed Ali (2012), Social Democratic System, Global Peace Trust, p. 91
  15. ↑ Willis, Lee (31 August 2018). "Southern Prohibition: Race, Reform, and Public Life in Middle Florida, 1821-1920". University of Georgia Press – via Google Books.
  16. ↑ Weinfeld, Daniel R. (19 March 2012). "The Jackson County War: Reconstruction and Resistance in Post–Civil War Florida". University of Alabama Press – via Google Books.
  17. ↑ "Florida Dems devise plan for new primary - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  18. ↑ "No new primary for Florida Democrats - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  19. ↑ "Florida Democrats Elect Allison Tant to Lead Party". Florida Democratic Party. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  20. ↑ "Jacksonville.com: Maddox to step down as Florida Democratic Party chair 3/16/05". jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  21. ↑ "Karen Thurman retires as Florida Democratic chairwoman". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  22. ↑ "Florida Democratic Chair Karen Thurman's resignation letter". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  23. ↑ "Local attorney Rod Smith elected to head state Democratic Party". Gainesville.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  24. 1 2 "Allison Tant elected chairwoman of Florida Democratic Party". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  25. ↑ "Power Couples - Tallahassee Magazine - March-April 2012". www.tallahasseemagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  26. ↑ "Former lobbyist Allison Tant joins race to lead Florida Democratic Party". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  27. 1 2 Sun-Sentinel, South Florida. "Democrats seek fixes for voter disapproval". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  28. ↑ "Home - Terranova". Terranova.
  29. ↑ "Wealthy Donor Redefines Pay-to-Play, Buys Himself Top Dem Position". observer. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  30. ↑ Cite web|url=http://www.floridadems.org/our-party/our-leadership
  31. ↑ Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2017/12/09/rizzo-elected-as-next-florida-democratic-party-chair-140224
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