Are Democrats sleeping on South Florida? And could Jared Moskowitz pay the price?

Hundreds of progressive activists gathered in a United Church of Christ, months after President Donald Trump’s election.

The “People’s Town Hall,” organized by the Hope & Action, Indivisible’s Broward County chapter, served as a chance at catharsis for angry progressives in a traditionally Democratic part of the state, with many venting opposition to the GOP administration’s rapidly deployed policies.

Organizers invited three Democratic members of Congress to the event, including U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, the Parkland Democrat representing Florida’s 23rd Congressional District where the event was held.

None showed.

That left Jennifer Jones, an organizer for the event, irritated with the members of Congress during a moment demanding party unity.

“At this point, we are really frustrated,” she said weeks later. “We want to support him, all of us — independents, Democrats, progressives. We don’t want that seat flipped, and the seat is at risk. But if the seat is at risk, then listen to your constituents when you have an opportunity.”

Anger at Moskowitz’s no-show went on full display at the event, where calls for a Primary challenge to the Democratic incumbent led news reports afterward. WLRN Public Media headlined an article with the quote, “Where’s Jared?”

Sources close to Moskowitz stressed that his Office did not organize or schedule the town hall, and that he has done other events, including one with the Dolphin Democrats. But Moskowitz’s Office did not provide comment on missing the Indivisible town hall despite repeated requests.

Moskowitz wasn’t the only no-show at the South Florida event. A representative for U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Miramar Democrat, said the Congresswoman had a scheduling conflict, but a staff representative attended in her stead.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, also had a scheduling conflict but sent a video message played at the town hall, and a spokesperson said she helped pay for the Indivisible event.

Cherfilus-McCormick faces a well-financed Primary challenge this year from Democrat Elijah Manley, while Wasserman Schultz currently faces only Republican Michael Carbonara.

Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) made clear its plans to target Moskowitz in 2026, making him one of two Florida Democratic incumbents whom House Republicans view as vulnerable, even heading into a Midterm where pundits expect anti-Trump sentiment to energize voters.

It raises questions about whether Democrats, who long counted on liberal bastions like Broward County to keep the party relevant statewide, lack the resources or unity to defend its remaining foothold seats in South Florida.

The apparent dissension among Democrats, combined with a change in voting patterns throughout South Florida, has Republicans smelling blood in Broward. NRCC staff scoffed at Moskowitz’s no-show at the Indivisible town hall and the two-term incumbent’s lackluster fundraising early this cycle.

“Here’s some free advice for lazy, out of touch Jared Moskowitz: Spend less time trying to be a funny guy on Twitter and more time working for your constituents,” said Maureen O’Toole, a spokesperson for the NRCC. “Floridians are sick and tired of Moskowitz’s antics, and they’ll show him the door next November.”

Moskowitz closed the first quarter this year with $392,000 in cash on hand, with less than $170,000 of that raised this year. By comparison, two Republicans — Raven Harrison and George Moraitis — both sit on about $250,000, though that comes largely from self-funding.

The group also pointed to rankings by the Center for Effective Lawmaking on the proficiency of House members at passing legislation. Moskowitz rated lower than any other Florida Representative.

Importantly, all Democrats in the delegation rated below Republicans in the majority caucus. But Moskowitz scored substantially lower than colleagues like U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat elected to Congress the same year as Moskowitz.

Moskowitz won election in 2022 in an open race following former U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch’s retirement from Congress. Moskowitz had the smallest margin of victory of any member of Florida’s congressional delegation that year.

Still, the NRCC didn’t target Moskowitz in 2024, a Presidential Election cycle. Despite that fact, Moskowitz won re-election over Republican Joe Kaufman by less than 5 percentage points, again the tightest result of any congressional race in the Sunshine State.

That wasn’t the only blue seat where Democrats did not dominate. U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel and Wasserman Schultz, both Democrats, each won re-election by roughly 10 percentage points.

Similarly, Trump won Florida’s electoral vote by a landslide after narrow statewide victories in 2016 and 2020 largely thanks to a shift in voting trends in South Florida. According to an analysis by The Downballot, Democrat Kamala Harris won a majority in every Florida seat held by a Democrat, but took just 52% of the vote in Frankel’s and Wasserman Schultz’s jurisdictions and just 50.5% of the vote in Moskowitz’s district.

By comparison, Democrat Joe Biden won almost 60% of the vote in Wasserman Schultz’s district in 2020, about 59% in Frankel’s area and more than 56% in Moskowitz’s seat.

Privately, Democratic consultants acknowledge an erosion of support in South Florida’s Jewish communities. That became especially sharp in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, which created a fissure among Democrats between ardent supporters of Israel and those sympathetic to Palestinians after an overwhelming military response.

Of note, all three of those South Florida seats showing loss in support are represented by Jewish lawmakers, all of whom voice strong support for Israel.

The national Indivisible organization on the one-year anniversary of the attacks released a statement condemning Hamas’ horrific actions, but also spotlighting the “horrendous toll” of the Israeli government’s response.

Jones dismissed suggestions that the organization’s stance would create division between the local chapter and lawmakers like Moskowitz. Regardless, she said voters can understand the occasional break from a progressive agenda if lawmakers share a heartfelt reasoning. That hasn’t always come from Moskowitz, she said.

“Most of the policy stuff, we are happy with him,” she said. “But we heard he had to be pushed to vote against the SAVE Act, which is concerning. And he censures Rep. Al Green, which we were very unhappy about. We do see he speaks out a lot on national issues, but that’s not like hearing from us, from his constituents.”