If you have missed the latest political drama dividing Democrats ahead of the 2024 election, there’s a fight over the fact that there will be no Democratic Presidential Primary in Florida. Progressives are angry, and they are still challenging that action and calling for a primary.
The big question: will this divide hurt overall Democratic voter turnout or participation in the general election?
The Florida Democratic Party says the issue is over, and that it followed its ballot process when the State Executive Committee previously voted unanimously to send one name, Joe Biden, to the Secretary of State as a candidate for the party’s nomination for President. “It is not uncommon for an incumbent President to be declared the automatic winner of a presidential primary,” FDP said in a statement.
The state party also noted that in 2011, Florida Democrats similarly voted unanimously for incumbent President Barack Obama.
The Florida Democratic Party State Executive Committee meets to vote to place candidates on the presidential primary ballot at the FDP State Convention every four years. The State Party Chair does not have veto power or the authority to decide who is nominated on the primary ballot. The State Executive Committee is responsible for nominating candidates, according to FDP.
Florida Democrats also said that any member of the committee could have nominated other candidates. Dean Phillips, Marianne Williamson, Cenk Uygur – who are trying to challenge Biden – did not receive a nomination from any of the 218 members of Florida’s State Executive Committee at the time.
“The State Executive Committee is diverse and representative,” FDP stated. “It is currently made up of 218 elected members representing all 67 counties from Key West to Pensacola. One state committeeman and one state committeewoman are elected by their peers every four years to represent their county on the committee. Additionally, members of Congress, state legislators and their designates are also members of the committee.”
The nomination took place at the Florida Democratic Party meeting way back on October 29th, in conjunction with the 2023 FDP State Convention. Shortly after the nomination, the Florida Democratic Party submitted the approved candidate list to the Florida Secretary of State on November 1st.
But, progressive leaders and caucuses across Florida are joining forces to support a federal lawsuit aimed at contesting the exclusion of candidates from the Democratic presidential primary. The Progressive Democratic Caucus of Florida warns of unintended consequences, expressing that the cancellation of the Democratic presidential primary could lead to “depressed, possibly disastrous, voter turnout” and open the door to coordinated efforts by external forces to influence local government elections.
