‘DeSantis seems unstoppable’: Florida Dems worry they can’t beat the governor

Fried became the first statewide elected Democrat since 2011 after narrowly winning four years ago, giving her a high profile perch to consistently hit DeSantis while carving out a position as titular head of the party and the front-runner for governor. Most Democrats have cheered Fried for taking shots at DeSantis over his pandemic response and affordable housing, among other issues, but see her campaign making key tactical errors that have bogged down momentum.

“I think there have been some missteps on certain policy positions, and I always say candidates should not be on Twitter, they should be raising money,” Tampa-based Democratic consultant Maya Brown said of Fried’s big presence on social media. “I think sometimes they get on Twitter and say stuff, then they can’t take that stuff back.”

Brown pointed to a selfie Fried tweeted from a plane celebrating the end of the federal mask mandate for public transportation. Fried, who was maskless in the photo, posted the selfie the day the mandate was dropped, which annoyed some Democrats who thought it sent the wrong message about safety. Fried also angered some Democrats by suing the Biden administration over a federal policy that does not allow legal users of medical marijuana to own a firearm or get a concealed carry permit.

“The Biden administration lawsuit was confusing for folks. Why would a Democrat sue another Democrat?” Brown asked. “And when you take a risk like the mask tweet, it has to be well thought out. Florida has been open for two of the three years of the pandemic, but what people appreciate about our party is we have been thoughtful and always wanted people to be safe.”

“So, I think that tweet and statement kind of got lost, especially with the brand identity we have built,” she added.

Fried’s campaign has gotten increasingly aggressive in recent weeks, going after Crist on a number of issues tied to his time as a former Republican governor, including that he was openly anti-abortion before leaving the Republican Party in 2010. Her campaign also highlighted reporting that Crist has relied on proxy votes this year instead of in-person voting, a practice Pelosi instituted when Covid-19 was ravaging the nation. While voting remotely, Crist has held regular campaign events.

“Chair as empty as his suit,” tweeted Keith Edwards, a Fried spokesperson, who included a video portraying Crist as a no-show elected official. Edwards told POLITICO that “there’s nobody stronger than the person who won a majority of Florida voters since Obama and nobody weaker than the person who lost two statewide elections in a row.”

A Crist spokesperson told POLITICO that proxy voting is “a great way to ensure his constituents’ voices continue to be heard on legislation under consideration in Congress.”

State Sen. Shev Jones (D-Miami Gardens) was one of Crist’s biggest recent state-level endorsers. The Black Democrat is one of the most popular members of the Legislature and had a close relationship with Fried. He said, however, it was time for Democrats to coalesce around Crist to make sure they don’t stumble out of a brutal primary into a general election against DeSantis.

“It’s time we united early to be able to organize early,” he said in a text message. “The Republicans are good at declaring who they want EARLY — sending money and support behind the candidate. We have to do the same!”

Jones said Fried “will always be my friend,” but she has made some strategic errors that “trying to fix .. in the ninth hour could cost us the war.”

“[Lack of] visibility in the community is one [mistake],” he said. “But issues that hit their kitchen table is what’s missing. People need to KNOW that you have their back. Not on social media, put your team on the street so they can see that you feel them.”

Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo, left, speaks against congressional maps, Monday, April 18, 2022, at the Little Haiti Cultural Center in Miami. | Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo

Taddeo has struggled to gain any real momentum. The Miami Democrat has developed support among the party’s progressive grassroots but has lagged behind Crist and Fried in public polling and fundraising. She was Crist’s running mate in 2014 when he made a failed bid for governor so has statewide experience, but has not yet broken through. It didn’t help that she entered the race in mid-October, months after her primary challengers.

“She has been a great advocate for public schools and as a state Senator, but she got in just so late,” Spar said. “She just is having a hard time getting any traction.”

Taddeo’s spokesperson said that, as a small business owner and the only parent in the primary with a child in public schools, Taddeo remains the Democrats’ only shot at beating DeSantis.

There is some optimism among Democrats that the party has honed its message on “pocketbook issues,” including hitting DeSantis on property insurance rate increases and a lack of affordable housing in the state. Democrats raising the issues on the campaign trail helped pressure DeSantis to call lawmakers back to Tallahassee for a late May special session focused on solving the property insurance crisis.

Some Democrats, however, are concerned that the messaging is a little late.

“You need to talk to people, so having a longer runway does not mean you should not get started talking to people,” said Berrios, the founder of the voter registration organization Mi Vecino. “It means you need to start right away because you’re not going to get to everybody.”

To date, Democrats have been spending huge resources to communicate with voters, which gives some in the party hope that when their candidate starts to make TV appearances and meet more voters, the polling and momentum can begin to shift.

Others think that should have already begun.

“Folks are not paying attention yet, they don’t even really know an election is coming. We are four months from primary day, and a lot of people have not gotten any direct voter contact,” Brown said. “I’m a young Black female living in the Tampa area. What targeted messages am I getting? I don’t really think I’m getting any of those.”