Nikki Fried offers herself as a ‘new hope’ to Florida Democrats

Nikki Fried
It's Nikki Fried's

As Florida Democrats gather in Orlando this weekend, Nikki Fried has emerged as their Princess Leia.

She is their Leader of their Rebel Alliance.

She is, as her promotional posters shameless stole from Star Wars’ first movie Friday night, A New Hope.

Fried and most of the members of the Florida Democratic Party gathered at Walt Disney World’s Beach and Yacht Club Resort & Convention Center are beginning to see Fried as the new leader of the party.

“I look around this room. The excitement and energy is here. I carry that responsibility very seriously,” Fried said when asked if she considered herself the party’s new leader.

For the first time in a full generation, there is no Bill Nelson in office. He lost last fall.

Down the hall Friday evening from Fried’s party, Andrew Gillum also held a reception. But he lost, too. So Gillum mostly wanted to talk about voter registration, while reporters mostly wanted to ask him about subpoenas and investigations.

Down the hall in the other direction was a reception held by Orlando’s dual mayors, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, two of the strongest stars the Democrats have in local offices. And sprinkled around the convention center were a handful of other Democratic elected officials.

Fried talked about the party’s future being built on a younger generation’s values, and a woman’s leadership. Standing before her, glowing as she gave her welcoming remarks, was Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo.

“I think this generation, my generation — I’m 41 years old — this generation has taken over the state, has taken over the party, and it’s bringing excitement,” Fried told reporters.

“We are caring about a lot of things that this generation cares about, such as the environment. And so having that as the issues that we talk about changes the conversation about leadership in our state,” Fried added.

She also mentioned a couple of other issues she cares about, notably medical marijuana and that she is “a very strong supporter of pro-choice.”

She also made it clear that as she deliberates whom she’ll endorse in the presidential election — and she said she would endorse someone after the debates this summer — “recognizing that my voice carries water in this state,” she’ll be seriously considering the women candidates.

“As far as women in leadership, we saw a record number of women running last year, a record number of women that were running and winning. I think women in leadership positions change the conversation,” Fried said.

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].


6 comments

  • Jim Donelon

    June 7, 2019 at 9:37 pm

    I just came back from Orlando and you’re wrong. The real leaders of the party are the same old faces that have been around for years.

  • gary

    June 8, 2019 at 12:13 am

    The criminal DEMOCRAT party is now worse than ever!

  • 'Bout Right

    June 8, 2019 at 8:31 am

    “… party’s future being built on a younger generation’s values”

    Fried is shacked up with a weed tycoon.

  • Federali

    June 8, 2019 at 8:35 am

    Gillum has become the warm fart through the cold building.

  • Calleen De Oliveira

    June 8, 2019 at 12:45 pm

    I wish people wouldn’t name call and be so mean, bullying plain and simple. I hope she does well.

  • Jackie Trancynger

    June 9, 2019 at 1:37 pm

    If they want me to work my ass off electing Democrats, they had better stop taking sponsorship money from Big Sugar…we have a crisis with our water supply in South Florida and Big Sugar and politicians who are bought by Big Sugar have been a big part of our problems with toxic water.

Comments are closed.


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