Debbie Wasserman Schultz Faces Criticism Over Florida District 20 Election Bid
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a veteran Congressional Democrat, has declared her candidacy for Florida’s District 20 following the state’s mid-decade redistricting. Her potential election would make her the representative for areas such as southern Coral Springs, North Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Tamarac, and neighboring cities.
A group of elected Democratic National Committee members from Florida have voiced condemnation of Schultz’s decision. They argue that her bid undermines the political representation of Black voters in a district historically shaped for their empowerment, a result of recent redistricting efforts driven by Governor Ron DeSantis. In a letter released Tuesday, ten Florida DNC members expressed their disapproval, stating, “Our party cannot credibly denounce the dismantling of Black political power by Republicans while treating one of Florida’s few remaining majority-Black districts as a political opportunity for an incumbent seeking a safer seat.” The letter was signed by all but two of the party’s 11 non-officer, elected members, as well as Daniel Henry, the Florida Democratic Party’s First Vice Chair.
Wasserman Schultz’s candidacy in District 20 follows the DeSantis-led rearrangement of South Florida’s congressional district boundaries. The reconfiguration reduced the number of left-leaning districts to three, despite five Democratic incumbents in the region. Having served in Congress for over two decades, Wasserman Schultz aims to secure a strong Democratic seat and avoid districts favoring Republicans. Her current residence is in Florida’s 22nd District, extending from Coral Springs to Marco Island. Her previous voter base was divided into five separate areas, with only a portion included in District 20.
Critics accuse Wasserman Schultz of using her $2.5 million campaign fund to secure an easier victory in a Democrat-favoring district. The Florida DNC members asserted, “We cannot claim to defend voting rights, racial justice, and representation while undermining Black political power when it becomes politically convenient.” In her interview with the Miami Herald, Wasserman Schultz dismissed the criticism as stemming from her political rivals. Black candidates have voiced concerns about her intentions regarding District 20.
The DNC members’ statement represents a strong rebuke from within her party, which she previously led from 2011 to 2016. A federal judge initially established three Black-majority districts in Florida under the Voting Rights Act in 1992, enabling Black voters to elect their preferred candidates. District 20 was one of these districts, historically represented by Alcee Hastings and more recently by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. Following Cherfilus-McCormick’s recent resignation, she’s actively campaigning to regain her congressional seat.
Governor DeSantis deliberately targeted District 20, according to his office’s map drawer’s testimony before state legislators, anticipating the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. This ruling undermined long-standing applications of the Voting Rights Act to address racial discrimination. Wasserman Schultz is countering criticism by highlighting Broward County as the real target of Republican efforts. “Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump came in and intentionally tried to blow up, or they did blow Broward’s congressional districts to smithereens so that they could dilute Broward’s power,” she told the Herald, emphasizing her longstanding representation of Broward County.
For Florida’s DNC members, Wasserman Schultz’s decision underscores a broader political maneuver aimed at diminishing Black voter influence. “This decision reinforces the same message Republicans have pushed for years: that Black representation does not matter,” they stated. “It does matter. Representation matters. Lived experience matters.”
About the Author
Claire Heddles is the senior political correspondent for the Miami Herald. She has previously covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C., at NOTUS. Her experience also includes work as a public radio reporter, focusing on local government and education in East Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida.