Growing number of Democrats call for Susan Valdés to resign, run again in Special Election

A growing number of Democratic and progressive leaders are calling for Rep. Susan Valdés’ resignation following her party switch to join the GOP.

“This betrayal expands the Republican supermajority and disregards the trust of voters who elected her under Democratic values,” posted Kari Cieslak, Vice Chair of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee.

“Voters in HD 62 deserve leaders who honor their commitments. Rep. Valdés must resign and allow a special election. Democracy demands accountability. We cannot allow party-switching to erode public trust. The press and public must demand answers. Let’s ensure integrity in leadership.”

Valdés said she would caucus in the coming legislative term with Republicans weeks after winning a fourth term in the House as a Democrat — and days after losing a bid to chair the Hillsborough County Democratic Party. She represents House District 64.

“I know that I won’t agree with my fellow Republican House members on every issue, but I know that in their caucus, I will be welcomed and treated with respect,” Valdés said in an extensive statement on Monday.

Progressive groups expressed outrage at her change in loyalties so close after the election.

“The voters of HD 64 elected a Democratic pro-choice woman to continue representing them in Tallahassee just a few weeks ago — making this decision now is a betrayal of their trust and their votes,” said Ruth’s List Florida CEO Christina Diamond in a statement.

“We will be closely monitoring Representative Valdés’ votes in this upcoming Legislative Session in hopes that she will remain committed to the shared values of the majority of Floridians who believe in the right for a woman to have the freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions and are prepared to hold her accountable if she does not.”

Other Democratic groups said voters deserve the chance to hold Valdés accountable for her decision now.

“Ms. Valdés should resign immediately and run as a Republican in the Special Election to fill the vacancy,” posted Fergie Reid, founder of 90 For 90.

Reid was the first political leader to call for Valdés to drop out and run, and said the step appears appropriate after a pernicious and craven switch in affiliation.

“Here is the truth. she just ran for head of the Hillsborough Democratic Executive Committee, lost to a Black woman, and now she’s going to be a Republican,” Reid said. “Good for you. Be a Republican. But run and let’s see if the voters elect you as a Republican.

Theoretically, Valdés could resign her post effective at a date of a Special Election, though a recent law passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature requires candidates to have been registered with their party for a year before running with partisan affiliation. But Reid suspects that would not be a problem. “Her new party and caucus members would gladly make an exception in the Florida law for her, as they did to allow Florida’s Governor an opportunity to run for President,” he said.

Susan Smith, former President of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, said Valdés should give up her seat.

“That would be the honorable thing to do,” said Smith, who is based in Tampa Bay. “She deceived her supporters.”

If Valdes resigned her position and won a Special Election, she could then serve out the remainder of her term. Term limits under Florida law prohibit lawmakers from running for election to an office they have held for eight years consecutively.

The Hillsborough County Democratic Party issued a statement that slammed Valdés but came short of calling for her resignation. It did, however, assert Valdés had proven herself dishonest in her political actions over the last month at least.

“While it remains disturbingly unclear whether she was entertaining the switch to become a Republican even as she was running to lead the local Party, ultimately it is her constituents in District 64 who have the most reason to be upset and betrayed,” the statement from the county party reads. “They voted for a Democrat to fight for them and ended up with a political opportunist who abandoned them.”

Regardless, it’s unlikely that Valdes will do so, and few legislators in the country have historically resigned their seats even after switching parties. In this case, House Republicans have welcomed Valdés and already have updated an online directory of members to reflect Valdés as a member of the GOP caucus.

Of note, Valdés’ district appeared to shift rightward even as it re-elected Valdés. She won her election in November with just over 53% of the vote. But nearly 51% of voters in HD 64 supported Republican Donald Trump for President over Democrat Kamala Harris, according to MCI Maps. In 2020, more than 57% of voters in the district backed Democrat Joe Biden even as Trump won Florida’s electoral votes statewide.

But Democrats still have a large voter registration advantage with more than 32,000 Democratic on voter rolls compared to 25,000 Republicans and another 25,000 registered without party affiliation, according to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.