Nikki Fried fundraises off ‘DC sucks’ mesage

Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner is striking more of an outsider pose in her Democratic gubernatorial campaign.

Nikki Fried switched up her messaging in the wake of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia saying he wouldn’t vote for President Joe Biden‘s signature “Build Back Better” legislation on Sunday, bemoaning a failure of Washington to “get things done.”

The Agriculture Commissioner tweeted: “DC just sucks at getting things done. We have to start electing *new* people willing to do what it takes to save the country and planet, including governors!!”

DC just sucks at getting things done. We have to start electing *new* people willing to do what it takes to save the country and planet, including governors!!

— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) December 19, 2021

Fried has centered her messaging around the “something new” catchphrase, and her tweet’s intent was to juxtapose that against what appears to be the failure of Democrat-controlled Washington to pass a bill the President hyped.

On Monday, Fried expanded on these themes in an email entitled “DC politicians won’t fight for us, but I will.”

“The old way of thinking — that Washington is going to save us — can’t be our top option. And if we’re going to make progress on issues that matter, we can’t depend on them to make it happen. That’s why it’s absolutely critical to elect someone that works for you. I’m not a DC politician,” Fried asserted.

One of Fried’s principal opponents is a “DC politician”: U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who has more endorsements than Fried and seems to be the establishment choice.

Fried then invoked the current Governor to make her case.

“As Ron DeSantis has proved, Governors have the power to make real change — for better or for worse. And unlike DeSantis, I will dedicate all of my time and power to making our lives better,” Fried asserted.

The Governor hasn’t bothered discussing Fried much, but when he has mentioned her, he has dismissed her accomplishments.

“I did more in my first week than she has done in her entire time as agriculture commissioner,” DeSantis said when asked about Fried’s formal announcement of her campaign this summer.

Fried’s messaging shift comes as her own fundraising has fallen off.

Fried raised $216,309 in November. That compared negatively to $414,410 in October, $350,000 in September, and $418,000 in August.

This fundraising contrasts unfavorably with that of two major opponents.

Crist raised $805,171 in November between his campaign account and his political committee.

The incumbent Governor, meanwhile, reported raising about $6 million in November between his political committee Friends of Ron DeSantis and his re-election campaign.