Former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said on Monday that she wants to be the next chair of the Florida Democratic Party.
After the 2018 elections, Fried was the only Democrat to hold statewide office in Florida, but she lost to former Gov. Charlie Crist in the primary to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.
With Republicans controlling every statewide office and holding strong majorities in both chambers of the Legislature and in the state congressional delegation, Fried said the party needed new ideas.
“As we chart a path forward for our party and our state, a path of unity, a path of engagement, a path of inclusion, and most importantly, a path to victory, it is important that we do it together. Therefore, in the spirit of trying ‘something new,’ I am announcing my candidacy for FDP party chair,” she said. “As chair, I will commit to rebuilding our party from the ground up. Our work will be in lock-step with county Democratic parties, our clubs and caucuses, Democratic elected leaders, community organizations and supporters. As chair of the Florida Democrats, we will rededicate ourselves to voter registration, training, and growing our progressive coalitions. I am determined to rebuild the trust of national committees and I will dedicate the full weight of the party to quality candidate recruitment and to reforming our antiquated weighted vote system and bylaws which too often exclude rather than include.”
Fried had originally said she did not want to lead the party, and, on Monday, she touched on why she changed her mind.
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