Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has bested a young progressive challenger and an embattled former lawmaker after a hard-fought primary characterized by its racial overtones.
Schultz, a 21-year veteran of the House, stressed her seniority on the campaign trail alongside her ability to deliver services to constituents and secure federal funding for her district. To secure her primary victory, Schultz bested former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April following fraud allegations, and 27-year-old activist and teacher Elijah Manley, who is aligned with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Mid-decade redistricting in Florida caused Schultz to choose to run in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, which has a stronger Democratic lean than her home constituency. Schultz, a White woman, drew considerable backlash for deciding to run in the district in May. Criticism centered around the district being majority Black and having long been represented by a Black member of Congress.
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Both Cherfilus-McCormick and Manley argued that Schultz representing Florida’s 20th Congressional District would be an affront to the African American community. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to back Schultz during the dispute.
"While the Republicans are trying their hardest to silence Black voices, I don't expect somebody in our own party, a white Democrat, to do the same," Manley said of Schultz at a candidate debate. " We are not going back to a time where there were no Black people in Congress."
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Cherfilus-McCormick accused Schultz of "district forum shopping" and said electing her would amount to the erasure of Black history and power.
During the debate, Schultz defended her candidacy by emphasizing her extensive tenure in Congress and her experience representing Black and Caribbean communities in her former district.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s candidacy was itself mired in controversy.
Federal prosecutors say Cherfilus-McCormick and her co-defendants stole a $5 million overpayment from a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination contract, laundered the money through multiple accounts and used part of it to finance her 2021 congressional campaign through illegal contributions. She resigned from Congress in April before an expulsion vote could be scheduled and has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
Accusations that Schultz was carpetbagging and the federal fraud charges against Cherfilus-McCormick weren’t the only controversies in the Democratic primary in Florida’s 20th Congressional District.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib appeared at a Fort Lauderdale "Chomp the Oligarchy" rally on Aug. 14 to support the effort to oust Schultz from Congress. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fl., has claimed that the effort to oust Schultz stems from the fact that she is Jewish.
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Schultz has described herself as a "staunch supporter" of Israel and has voted against measures to cut off military aid. Her position has put her at odds with progressives seeking to reduce U.S. support for Israel.
Other candidates in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 20th Congressional District included former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness and longtime community activist Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell.
