On Friday, an activist Democrat woman announced her candidacy for Congress in a heavily black district in Florida, a seat expected to go to a Democrat, and enraged her own party at the same time.
The reason? While Debbie Wasserman Schultz is seeking election in Florida’s District 20, Democrat activists already had several candidates in mind for the race, black candidates.
Wasserman Schultz, formerly the chief of the Democrat National Committee, is not.
“Debbie Wasserman Schultz is carpetbagging to FL-20, a black opportunity district instead of running in her own. DWS is everything that’s wrong with the Democratic establishment. From insider trading to payday lenders. I look forward to retiring her from public office permanently,” said Elijah Manley, a self-described “organizer” and woketivist, according to RedState.
Today, I’m announcing my candidacy for Florida’s 20th congressional district.
I’ll continue to use my seniority in Washington to make Broward a safer, less expensive place to live, raise a family, and retire. We cannot let Trump and DeSantis take away Broward County’s power. pic.twitter.com/q2BLHlX8Xx
— Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) May 22, 2026
Breaking News: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, will run in a majority-Black district after the GOP eliminated her seat under a newly drawn congressional map, stoking tensions with Black Democrats. https://t.co/98jXYGfNK3
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 22, 2026
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is carpetbagging to FL-20, a black opportunity district instead of running in her own.
DWS is everything that’s wrong with the Democratic establishment. From insider trading to payday lenders.
I look forward to retiring her from public office… https://t.co/ODZmKXb4IK
— Elijah Manley (@iElijahManley) May 22, 2026
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is no different than those Jim Crow Republicans across the south that are wiping out African-American opportunity districts.
But she Definitely Won’t Succeed.
— Elijah Manley (@iElijahManley) May 22, 2026
Florida legislative black caucus joins the criticism of Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Her “decision to pursue reelection in this historically Black district, despite explicit requests from the Black community to seek candidacy in a neighboring district, is disheartening.” https://t.co/uLOBGTiJMs pic.twitter.com/EHDcDX0w19
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) May 22, 2026
Her re-election chances in her own nearby district were fading because of redistricting, so she jumped into the district formerly represented by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who quit Congress as a move was under way to throw her out over criminal charges she faces.
RedState reported, “Somewhere, Ron DeSantis has got to be sitting back, booted feet propped on his desk, laughing and smoking a cigar at what has been playing out in Florida’s 20th Congressional District. As RedState readers will recall, at the governor’s urging, the Sunshine State redrew its congressional map in late April just as the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais was being handed down. Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional seats. The new map, if it survives the current court challenges, could potentially net them another four seats in the upcoming midterm elections.”
One of those districts hit by changes was 25, Wasserman Schultz’s stomping ground.
Cherfilus-McCormick, who is audaciously running for her seat again, rejected the idea of a Wasserman Schultz election.
“What matters in this moment is to make sure all the strides we have made to make sure Black representation is actually present matters,” she said.
A report at Twitchy summed up what should be the attitude about the district: “Let them fight.”
