Florida’s first Jewish female congresswoman announced on Friday a shift to a new district that has sent a Black representative to Capitol Hill for more than 30 years.
New congressional maps drawn by Florida Republicans led Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat who has founded, led and chaired multiple parliamentary groups aiming to combat antisemitism, to shift to the Sunshine State’s 20th District for November’s election.
“You have always been able to count on me to deliver results for our community,” Wasserman Schultz said in a video announcement, which included short endorsements from Florida elected officials and party activists.
She highlighted her “seniority and clout” as effective means to address affordability issues. Wasserman Schultz sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
The video also included interviews with Democratic elected officials and activists in the district who back her candidacy.
But the move sparked backlash from some Black officials and rivals for the open seat, which had been held by Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned last month amid a serious campaign finance probe.
Cherfilus-McCormick will run for the seat again, along with activist Elijah Manley, musician Luther Campbell, physician Rudolph Moise and former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, all of whom are Black.
Wasserman Schultz, who chaired the Democratic National Committee chair from 2011 to 2016 during President Barack Obama’s time in the White House, prominently featured an Obama poster in the background during her candidacy announcement.
Obama endorsed her multiple times publicly, though the two reportedly have a strained relationship.
Wasserman Schultz currently represents the Hispanic majority-minority 23rd district.
Manley accused Wasserman Schultz of “carpetbagging.” Multiple candidates said Wasserman Schultz intended on employing a strategy of splitting the district’s Black and Caribbean vote to her advantage.
“It’s clear that people know how important it is to not start over with a beginner,” Wasserman Schultz said in her announcement. “We have to make sure we’re putting the strongest fighter on the field.”
