Women will serve as the face of Florida Democratic politics this Fall

Women candidates will be front and center as Democrats aim to gain ground in elections this Fall.

A lineup of candidates on a Florida Democratic Party (FDP) press call demonstrated that reality, with the call featuring women candidates from U.S. Senate to School Board.

With Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris topping the potentially history-making ticket, Florida Democrats last week selected Debbie Mucarsel-Powell as the U.S. Senate nominee, and also picked Lucia Báez-Geller and Whitney Fox as congressional nominees in South Florida and Tampa Bay, respectively.

“Something is happening in Florida,” said Fox, who this November will challenge U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a St. Petersburg Republican.

“People are tired of the extremism, and we are going to see the pendulum swing this November. And I am thrilled to be a part of this momentum.”

With FDP Chair Nikki Fried and Harris campaign Florida Director Jasmine Burney-Clark on the line, a picture emerged of a Democratic operation led by women candidates and making an appeal on women’s issues, from access to reproductive health care to depoliticizing Florida’s schools.

Fried said Florida Democrats have signed up more than 40,000 new volunteers since Harris emerged as the Democratic nominee. “That’s an army,” she said.

And it’s one led by women. Burney-Clark said of more than 13,000 Florida volunteers signed up in the week since the Democratic National Convention, two-thirds were women.

“These women are not just voting,” she said. “They are leading phone banks, knocking on doors and organizing community events and showing up at rallies. For example, at Saturday’s rally in Tampa, nearly 400 women came out to support the coordinated campaign. In Broward, we saw 200 women strong. And in Tallahassee, 300 women joined us, showing their enthusiasm for this campaign and committing themselves to signing up to make a difference.”

Báez-Geller this Fall will challenge U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Coral Gables Republican. The Miami-Dade elected official said she has already seen parents recoil from Republicans’ policies in Florida’s classrooms under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“As a School Board member, I had a front row seat defending our democracy against MAGA extremists like Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump and Maria Salazar, who’ve done nothing but attack our students, our most vulnerable populations and their families,” the Democrat said.

Of course, Báez-Geller and Fox will face female incumbents. Still, Mucarsel-Powell saw a Democratic ticket coalescing in Florida that stands in stark contrast to the conservative men dominating Florida politics for decades. That includes Scott, a former two-term Governor.

“It is such an honor and a pleasure to share this space with some incredible women leaders across the state that I’ve had the pleasure to get to know and the campaign trail, and I’ve seen firsthand the work that they’ve been putting in and part of all of this momentum,” she said. “Let’s make sure everyone knows it’s because of the incredible candidates that we have running in all these races.”

That extends all the way to School Board, with Democrats providing a platform to nonpartisan candidate Max Tuchman, who this Fall will be in a runoff against DeSantis-appointed School Board member Mary Blanco.

“It usually is left up to women to save democracy,” Tuchman said, “and we’re seeing it again.”