Florida Democrats see New York’s leftward wave — so why are they running on “boring”? | Opinion
Democratic socialism may be having a moment in New York City, but it would never succeed in Miami. And that’s something Florida Democrats seem to understand if at least two of their recent statewide candidates are any measure.
Miami has generations of Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan exiles who fled socialist regimes. For many, socialism isn’t an abstract political philosophy. It’s personal. Socialism, communism, stolen property, repression — it all raises red flags for them.
After New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s success Tuesday night — three Democratic socialist candidates he endorsed swept their New York congressional primaries — he touted “a new path for politics in our city and in our country.”
Florida is far different, of course, no matter how many New Yorkers move here. Florida Democrats haven’t won a statewide race since Nikki Fried was elected agriculture commissioner in 2018. A Democrat hasn’t occupied the governor’s mansion since Gov. Buddy MacKay’s brief tenure ended in 1999.
The state has become increasingly red, with President Donald Trump winning Florida by 13 points in 2024. That included 55.2% of the vote in Miami-Dade County, which was previously a Democratic county. That political shift reflects a community whose experience with socialism continues to shape how voters engage with politics.
Maybe that’s why Florida Democrats are running candidates like David Jolly — a Republican-turned-Democrat — for governor and retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman for U.S. Senate, who admits to chafing against ideological labels. Is it possible that a move toward centrists could happen in Florida?
Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the GOP over his opposition to Trump, has centered his campaign on affordability, public schools and property insurance — issues that consistently rank among Floridians’ top concerns. As Jolly told the New York Times, he wants to bring back boring.
That slogan isn’t sexy, but it reflects a strategy to build a coalition beyond the Democratic base. In Florida, Democrats can’t win by trying to outflank Republicans from the left. They need to rebuild by persuading independents and disaffected Republicans that they can govern responsibly.
Vindman is making the same calculation. He’s campaigning on insurance costs and national security, not party orthodoxy. “I’m running to make sure Floridians have representation in the Senate — not a rubber stamp,” Vindman has said.
Vindman faces a primary challenger, state Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville progressive who argues the party needs to fight harder. That’s part of a larger tension within the Democratic Party — double down on progressive candidates or move toward more moderate ones?
In that race at least, the bulk of campaign contributions are going to the more moderate candidate. Vindman entered June with more than $9 million raised, compared with Nixon’s roughly $290,000. While fundraising is only one component of a campaign, it suggests many donors believe the party’s path back to relevance runs through the political center.
Both Jolly and Vindman seem to grasp what national progressives don’t: In a state Democrats haven’t won since 2018, boring beats bold. The money agrees — donors are betting on the center, not the far left. If Florida Democrats want to break their losing streak, Tuesday night’s lesson from New York is about what to avoid.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com