News : POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida Democrats: Fretting, dancing, firing back

Monday, July 18, 2022

POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida Democrats: Fretting, dancing, firing back

Jul 18, 2022

Hello and welcome to Monday.

Till the World Ends — Greetings from Tampa, where Florida Democrats gathered over the weekend at a high-end hotel in this Democratic stronghold for their big annual fundraiser and convention that was equal parts party — including a well-received dance session late Saturday night — and therapy sessions on how to survive in a state dominated by Republicans. Here are a few takeaways:

Hold It Against Me — Publicly, there was a lot of hammering of Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis over abortion rights, guns, LGBTQ issues, and the affordability crisis that keeps growing in the state. Privately, there was a lot of fretting and fear that Republicans are going to have a big November. "Nobody is coming to save us," state Rep. Fentrice Driskell said at one point during a caucus meeting of Black Democrats where they expressed frustration about motivating Black voters. One plus point: Democrats were more energetic and excited at this summer gathering than they were at their last gathering, in Orlando.

Toxic — Joe who? The nation's top Democrat — President Joe Biden — did not seem to get much attention in speeches and remarks at a time when Biden's approval ratings in the state are underwater. Rep. Charlie Crist called Biden "great" during an afternoon caucus meeting, but did not mention him during his remarks at the Leadership Blue gala that evening. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said this about Biden in her speech: "We cannot abandon him when he needs us most."

Circus — Speaking of Fried, she predicted in an interview that national donors will write off the governor's race if Crist wins the Aug. 23 Democratic primary. She said that he doesn't have a "fighting chance" against DeSantis and big-time donors know it. Florida Democratic Party chair Manny Diaz — while not responding directly to Fried's assertion — contended that Florida will get some financial help soon. Joshua Karp, a Crist senior adviser, blasted Fried's remarks as "fiction" to "distract from their failing campaign."

…Baby One More Time — Rep. Val Demings, who was hoarse on Saturday from giving multiple speeches on the campaign trail, was given a roaring rock-star reception as she tore into Republicans and Sen. Marco Rubio during her address at the Leadership Blue gala. She had the crowd up on its feet multiple times and showed why Democrats view her run for Senate as one of their best chances for success in November.

Oops! … I Did it Again — Crist, who is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary for governor, had a bumpy time. While well-received during various caucus meetings, a decision to leave the hotel and slide by a protest did not go well. A group opposed to the Moms for Liberty summit going on at an adjacent hotel saw Crist and start chanting at Crist and state Sen. Janet Cruz "Voting blue is not enough, Democrats we call your bluff." Later that night, Crist's speech was flat and he did not receive the same type of reception from the crowd that Fried did.

Piece of Me — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who bashed DeSantis while also calling for Democrats to be more forceful about their views, gave a 30-minute plus speech that was a hit among the party faithful. More than one Democrat in attendance called him a "future president."

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to appear at the Statemen's Dinner being held by the Duval County Republican Party in Jacksonville.

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CAMPAIGN MODE

TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT — 'Nobody is coming to save us': Florida Dems struggle ahead of August primary, by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Florida Democrats were publicly optimistic during their three-day convention in Tampa this weekend. They danced late into the night, roared at jokes about Republicans and swapped stories and drinks at various bars. Privately, however, there was a sense of fatalism among state Democrats, who are heading into the 2022 midterms with an unpopular president, the highest inflation in 40 years and incumbents such as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis raking in millions and seeming unstoppable.

— " Florida Democrats psych themselves up to take on DeSantis 'monolith,'" by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Zac Anderson

PRIMARY COLORS — " Crist and Fried make case to face DeSantis in Florida Democratic Party," by Miami Herald's Bianca Padró Ocasio: "Behind the scenes, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried was ramping up her criticism of U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist's record, pointing to the former Republican's mid-1990s moniker of "chain-gang Charlie," a reference to his support as a state senator for a measure that revived a practice of making prisoners wear chains together while working along highways on chores like picking up litter. 'We're not talking about the 40s or 50s, or 60s, we're talking about the 1990s,' she said."

— " To defeat Ron DeSantis, Florida Democrats are coalescing around Charlie Crist and the Joe Biden playbook," by CNN's Steve Contorno

ON MESSAGE — ' Moms for Liberty' mobilize for school board races with DeSantis in tow, by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Winning school board seats proved to be a critical goal among parents at the summit. Many had grown frustrated by local policies — especially pandemic rules such as masking students and distance learning — and for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who encouraged attendees to withstand the political pressure from woke corporations and elsewhere as Friday morning's special guest. "Now is not the time to be a shrinking violet. Now is not the time to let them grind you down," DeSantis told the cheering audience. "You've got to stand up and you've got to fight."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a press conference.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a press conference at the Miami Dade College's North Campus on Jan. 26 in Miami, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

— "One Florida, two visions as Republicans and Democrats attend dueling Florida Tampa conferences," by Tampa Bay Times' Emily L. Mahoney and Miami Herald's Bianca Padró Ocasio

— "Moms for Liberty's conservative activists are planning their next move: Taking over school boards," by NBC News' Tyler Kingkade

— " DeSantis' education message is winning in battleground states, teacher union poll finds," by NBC News Marc Caputo and Jonathan Allen

READY FOR HIS CLOSEUP? — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Saturday railed against DeSantis and Republicans in a well-received — and at one point, blunt and profane — speech before Florida Democrats at their annual fundraising dinner in downtown Tampa.

Positive reaction — Weaving together horrific moments such as the recent Highland Park shooting that left a two-year-old boy without parents to his own push to create a Holocaust museum, Pritzker's made a favorable first-time impression that could help boost his national profile. "We saw a future president," said Christian Ulvert, a South Florida Democratic consultant who attended the dinner along with roughly 1,000 other Democrats. "That was one of the best Democratic speeches I have seen in a while."

Taking his shots — Pritzker's speech took strong swings against DeSantis, from his handling of Covid-19 — without mentioning his own family spent time in Florida during the height of the pandemic — to the GOP governor's battle with Disney and his support of the parental rights in education law that prohibits teachers from leading classroom lessons on gender identity or sexual orientation. "You see, Ron DeSantis is really just Donald Trump with a mask on," Pritzker said. "He's trying to pass off his covert racism, homophobia and misogyny as a more reasonable form of Trump Republicanism."

Talking points — Despite the antipathy toward Florida's governor, Pritzker got a stronger reaction from the crowd when he discussed gun violence, abortion rights and the legalization of marijuana in Illinois. He called the cultural battles with Republicans over education and gender identity a way to turn attention from the need for restrictions on guns, such as a federal ban on types of semi-automatic rifles.

Contrasts — "It's the guns. It's always been the guns," Pritzker said. "And here is where the Republican game plan is the most audacious. They want to distract you into believing that gay marriage, Black history, Disney World, and library books are more of a threat to our children than an AR-15. And if we can't call bullshit on that, well then Democrats, we don't deserve to win elections."

Response — Ahead of his speech, Republicans criticized Pritzker by noting that Illinois has been losing population to states such as Florida, which they said was a result of his "failed" leadership. "If I had a dollar for every Democrat that's escaped their poorly-run state to come to the free state of Florida, I'd have enough to buy J.B. Pritzker's mansion in West Palm Beach," said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Julia Friedland.

LAWSUIT IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY — A newly-filed lawsuit is seeking to remove Rebekah Jones, the fired health department worker who earned national media attention over allegations that Florida was manipulating Covid-19 death data, from the race for Florida's 1st Congressional District. Jones is one of two Democrats seeking the nomination to challenge Rep. Matt Gaetz. Peggy Schiller , who is running against Jones, and a northwest Florida voter filed a lawsuit late Friday that says Jones violated a state law that requires someone to be a member of a party for a full year ahead of qualifying if they are running for that party's nomination. The lawsuit says that Jones spent two months last year registered as an independent and not a Democrat. Juan-Carlos Planas , a lawyer representing Schiller, called the case "cut and dry" and said Jones doesn't have a "factual defense." Jones, who was attending the Leadership Blue convention in Tampa, did not seem to know about the lawsuit when asked. But she said "when you can't win, you cheat." Jones also said Schiller was retaliating against her because Jones had recently filed an elections complaint against Schiller.

HEATING UP — " Sharief attacks Book on TV ad after PAC's mailer slams her 'shameful record on guns,'" by Miami Herald's Omar Rodríguez Ortiz and Bianca Padró Ocasio: "Former Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief said in a TV ad aired Sunday that Florida state Sen. Lauren Book is 'desperate to win' state Senate District 35's Democratic primary after a PAC sent a mailer criticizing her record on guns and safety. The name of the Fort Lauderdale-based political action committee Winning Florida appeared on the mailer as the one taking aim at Sharief's 'shameful record on guns and public safety,' including a photo of her holding a rifle. It references news headlines reporting that Broward commissioners, Sharief included, approved in 2015 a resolution offering county incentives in support of a deal seeking to attract the authorized U.S. manufacturer of the Russian-style AK-47 assault rifle."

EXPLANATION — "Gavin Newsom reveals the motivation behind his Florida ad targeting Ron DeSantis," by McClatchy D.C.'s Gillian Brassil and David Lightman: "But [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom said Friday that what pushed him to air an anti-GOP ad in Florida over the Fourth of July was [Gov. Ron] DeSantis' treatment of the Special Olympics. The state threatened to fine the organization $27.5 million if it didn't drop its COVID-19 vaccine mandate before the 2022 USA Games in Orlando last month. Special Olympics officials complied. 'He did something that tipped me very directly, and that was going after the Special Olympics. I had an emotional response to that,' Newsom told The Bee, his voice catching momentarily."

— "While Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron DeSantis go at it, Californians flock to Florida," by Palm Beach Post's Kimberly Miller and Antonio Fins

— "' Cosmic Landlord cuts other-worldly check to DeSantis," by NBC News' Marc Caputo

— "Rick Scott leads the Republican bid to regain the Senate. Those candidates are struggling ," by USA Today Network-Florida's John Kennedy

— "Rick Scott: Top candidates depending on down-ballot success," by Florida Politics' Wes Wolfe

— "No major problems with ballot drop boxes in 2020, AP finds," by The Associated Press' Anthony Izaguirre and Christina A. Cassidy

— " Debate roster causes dispute ahead of Florida GOP's Sunshine Summit," by Florida Politics' Kelly Hayes

— "Pinellas congressional hopeful Anna Paulina Luna sued over dog bite ," by Tampa Bay Times William March

— "Alcee Hastings campaign account shutting down – after giving his widow its last $23K," by Florida Politics' Jesse Scheckner

— "Sarasota and Manatee Republican candidates rally support from voters ahead of primaries," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Melissa Pérez-Carrillo

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CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

'HE'S MAKING THAT CHOICE FOR ME' — "Kids' coronavirus vaccines are hard to find in Fla. Many blame DeSantis," by Washington Post's Lori Rozsa: "Many are struggling to find places to vaccinate their children, and they blame [Gov. Ron] DeSantis — noting he was the only governor to refuse to preorder the vaccines, and to prohibit county health departments from distributing or administering the shots. Waitlists at pediatrician offices stretch for weeks. Doctor's offices that have managed to get doses are fielding calls from parents hundreds of miles away. Families debate road trips to neighboring states in the hope of finding shots for their kids."

— " Florida kept paying millions for a contact tracing app after DeSantis said contact tracing doesn't work," by Florida Bulldog's Daniel Ducassi

THE GUNSHINE STATE

'FINALLY' — "Life or death for Parkland shooter? Trial will take months," by The Associated Press' Terry Spencer: "Four years, five months and four days after Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, his trial for the deadliest U.S. mass shooting to reach a jury begins Monday with opening statements. Delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and legal wrangling, the penalty-only trial is expected to last four months with the seven-man, five-woman jury being exposed to horrific evidence throughout. The jurors will then decide whether Cruz, 23, is sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole."

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

AWFUL — "Florida child welfare agency said the kids were doing fine. Actually, they were dead," by Miami Herald's Carol Marbin Miller: "Of [Odette] Joassaint's 3-year-old son, Jeffry, the investigator offered this reassuring image: 'He likes to play, laugh, and grab things.' Referring to Jeffry's older sister, 6-year-old Laura, the narrative read: 'She is a quiet child [who] is well-behaved.' Actually, as of the day before, Joassaint had been in the Miami-Dade County Jail and Laura and Jeffry were in the morgue. Police had arrived at the mother's home on Northeast 75th Street to find the children hogtied and strangled. Their mother told officers the children were better off that way."

— "Judge shields Corcoran in 'intellectual freedom' case," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— "Florida amusement park pauses sniper-like laser game," by The Associated Press: "The Orlando amusement park where a teenager fell from a ride and died earlier this year has paused a new sniper-like laser shooting game amid criticism following a recent spate of mass shootings. The Bullseye Blast game let riders of the 400-foot Wheel at ICON Park pay an extra $5.95 to shoot laser blasters at 50 targets strategically placed along rooftops throughout the park. In a statement issued Saturday, park officials said that while the ride had been 'well-received' by customers, some had questioned whether it was appropriate following mass shootings at a July 4 parade in a Chicago suburb, an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.

BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Allison Tant … State Rep. Jackie Toledo

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