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Today’s entry: Brian, I’ve been kind of surprised that there hasn’t been more conversation about the election to replace Alcee Hastings in Congress. I can’t remember so many elected officials vying for the same office before which speaks to the perceived importance and opportunity for a seat that will only be held for a year by the winner. As you’ve pointed out Florida’s Democrats have voted in lockstep with Biden’s agenda but at the same time, we’ve seen the strong differences within the party with the ongoing battle between the “progressives” and so-called moderates on the left in Congress. Even if the most likely outcome occurs with a Democrat holding this seat, it clearly matters as to if they’re a “squad” type or more moderate.
Bottom Line: All good points. Tomorrow’s special election in Florida’s 20th Congressional District to replace the late Alcee Hastings in Congress hasn't drawn a total of 16 candidates who qualified for the ballot for nothing. And as you referenced, we have a total of five current elected officials, two Broward County Commissioners, Dale Holness and Barbara Sharief, and two state representatives, Bobby DuBose and Omari Hardy. Plus, a State Senator Perry Thurston. Additionally, Priscilla Taylor is a former Palm Beach County Commissioner. While not spending a great deal of time discussing the nuances of these primary elections, I’ve been actively watching what’s happening with an open interest in which candidates emerge victorious for the very reasons you mentioned.
The most likely outcome in this deep blue district is a Democrat emerging victorious in the general election, though I’ll never discount the improbable either, especially in a time in which the political headwinds for Democrats appear to be enormous after a disastrous start to the Biden Presidency. Anyway, we’ve seen in this year’s Congress that not all Democrats are created equal. It was always an over-simplification, however, historically Republicans have had far more members who didn’t toe the party line on key votes. There are far too many examples to cite but one’s an easy illustration of this. Democrats managing to get every one of their senators on board to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2009.
Two of Florida’s congressional representatives are members of the Progressive Caucus. Lois Frankel, ironically my congressman who couldn’t be less representative of my interests, and Frederica Wilson. The question is will they be joined by a third Squad-like member or someone perhaps a bit more pragmatic that might hold the line against the radical transformation of our country? Just as it’s hard to know who stands where in this primary race, and it’s anybody’s guess until the votes are in tomorrow night, it’s also somewhat unclear to find all of the lines of delineation between the candidates themselves. However, we do know who the most radical, aka, progressive is. Omari Hardy. There is no doubt about who he is and where he stands. Incidentally, Omari was also endorsed by the Sun Sentinel’s editorial board which also shows you that the Sun-Sentinel not only provides space for anti-Semitism, but they pay people to provide it in their publication.
As for the others, because the lead candidates are office holders, they have records. Perry Thurston received a 33% score on the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s annual report card. Incidentally, Hardy received a 38% score so that’s instructive given how far left he tends to vote. There’s also Bobby DuBose who received a 52%. Then you have the records in county commissioners of Holness, Shariff, and Taylor. There are small differences among the three. On the Republican side of the aisle, there’s much less to sort through. Welder Greg Musselwhite or recovered addict and businessman Jason Mariner.
To your point, the primary election matters significantly. To those represented in the district and potentially everyone in the country given tight margins on key votes in Congress. Just as it’s long been known that not all Republicans are created equal, it’s as clear as it’s been in our lifetimes that not all Democrats are either.
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