Shameless: Wasserman Schultz Poaches 'Black District' For Political Survival
Also Democrats: Vote for Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida's remaining majority-minority district
Even at that time, though, it seemed difficult to believe that Democrat leadership would act this shamelessly. After Democrats went all-in on redistricting in Virginia (and lost), they claimed that the Supreme Court ruling in Callais amounted to "Jim Crow 2.0," or maybe 3.0, or possibly even World War Eleven. Republicans would use the ruling, as well as their own redistricting, to steal congressional seats from black Democrats, they claimed.
So when Debbie Wasserman Schultz – a former DNC chair and head of the House Dems' steering committee – suggested last week that she might run in Florida's new 20th district, it raised eyebrows even with Politico. The new FL-20 consists mainly of the majority-minority district last represented by Sheila Cherfilu-McCormick, who resigned ahead of an expulsion vote while awaiting prosecution for embezzling $5 million in COVID relief funds. It's one of the few safe Democrat districts in Florida's new map, and it is still primarily a non-white district. Wasserman Schultz had other options to choose for her political survival, including the new FL-22, but that will be much more competitive.
Wasserman Schultz doesn't like competition, apparently. Instead, she has chosen to poach FL-20 in her bid to keep her position in Congress
Note well that Wasserman Schultz does not live in FL-20. Constitutionally, that's not an impediment; candidates are only required to live in the state, not the specific district. However, it's a political problem even under normal circumstances, especially when a politician has to shift districts to remain competitive. And in this case, as Politico notes again today, her choice to compete against black Democrats for a district in which she does not reside looks even more crass, considering the hysterics Democrats have conducted since Callais:
The district Wasserman Schultz is seeking to represent was previously held by Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned from her seat in April following ethics and legal deliberations over allegations she denies that she stole federal emergency funds and routed them to her campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick is running again. The seat was held by a Black lawmaker for more than 30 years — a fact often raised by existing CD-20 Democratic candidates, all of whom are Black, as Wasserman Schultz was weighing whether to run for the seat.
Wasserman Schultz is a former Democratic National Committee chair and a long-time senior member of the Appropriations Committee, which directs federal spending. She has an estimated $2.5 million cash on hand in her campaign coffers. Wasserman Schultz’s current district boundaries before the recent redistricting include parts of Broward CountyWhy Cherfilus-McCormick wants to run again is anyone's guess. The House can expel her if she manages to win, and would likely do so given the evidence against her in the House Ethics investigation. However, Cherfilus-McCormick isn't the only candidate already in the running for the Democrats' FL-20 nomination. In fact, community activists are accusing Wasserman Schultz of attempting to take advantage of that situation:
The other candidates in the race include Luther Campbell, a former 2 Live Crew member who won a landmark free-speech Supreme Court case, civil activist Elijah Manley, physician Rudolph Moise and former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness. Several of the candidates have accused Wasserman Schultz of counting on the county’s African American and Caribbean American voters splitting their allegiances, drawing an advantage to her candidacy despite the 20th District having been historically drawn to help with Black representation.
So ... the white candidate wants to dilute the black vote in order to maintain a grip on power? Holy cow, this really is Jim Crow all over again!
Well, at least it's on-brand for Democrats.
Just remember this every time Democrats insist that Callais and redistricting are stealing House seats from black candidates. The biggest thieves in these cases are white Democrats like Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Utterly shameless.
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