Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down in the Sunshine State?
City & State
Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz isn’t a full-fledged “loser” just yet. He’s still in the job, despite calls for his ouster. And he may remain there – if only because nobody else wants it. “It’s a thankless role that requires huge personal sacrifice and endless patience,” said former Orlando state Rep. Carlos G. Smith, a three-termer who lost his seat to Republican Susan Plasencia. The chair, he added, needs to inspire the grassroots, raise money, register new voters “and hold DeSantis accountable. … None of that is happening, which is why people want new leadership.” Now, here’s this week’s list of Winners & Losers.
Fabían Basabe -
This former reality show star won his state House seat in a typically blue Miami-Dade district by the skin of his teeth. A recount gave the Republican the win by just 242 votes, or not even half of a percent of all votes cast. Basabe’s campaign was largely self-funded and was assisted by the massive red wave that hit Miami-Dade, but he now marks the second reality show alum to currently be making political waves in Florida (the first currently lives in Mar-a-Lago).
Ron DeSantis -
How did this guy get in here again? Oh, we know. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives took back the majority and thus control of the chamber after late election results finally came in from across the country. Helping them across the finish line: DeSantis’ congressional redistricting map that created a GOP plus-4 advantage in Florida. Democrats call it gerrymandered. As Sinatra said, whatever gets you through the night, baby. Plus, Donald Trump’s uninspiring launch of a comeback bid indicates there may be a viable path to the White House for Florida’s governor.
Keith Perry -
Sometimes, nice guys finish first. Keith Perry, a Republican state senator from Gainesville, was recently named to Senate President-designate Kathleen Passidomo’s leadership team. Here’s the catch: He doesn’t have a role yet. He’s a leader without a portfolio, if you will. Perry’s committee chairmanship will be decided soon, a spokesperson said, but Passidomo wanted to include him in her announcement this week. That kind of support augurs good things ahead for the term.
Vickie Cartwright -
In a sudden about-face, the Broward superintendent was given the boot by the majority DeSantis-appointed “reform” school board. The vote happened at 10 p.m., was not advertised and came after the same board voted to give her 90 days to improve her performance just a few weeks earlier. The ouster came right at the deadline for the appointed school board members, as all but one of them is leaving the board in less than a week to be replaced by a majority Democrat-aligned board.
Byron Donalds -
The Naples congressman attempted a Hail-Mary bid to become the House GOP conference chair, but it blew up in his face after he was only able to muster only about a third of the vote against sitting Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, the congresswoman from New York. There doesn’t seem to be as much bad blood as a result of the challenge as compared with the next entry on this list, and Donalds is still early in his legislative career, but a loss is a loss.
Rick Scott -
The Republican Party’s failure to seize the U.S. Senate has spurred many in Rick Scott’s caucus to throw the blame at his feet, while he tried to deflect it toward Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and challenge him for leadership. His colleagues didn’t seem convinced, as Scott got drubbed 37-10 by McConnell. A failed coup and a failed flip makes this quite a down week for the Florida senator, and should leave him in McConnell’s doghouse for the foreseeable future.
NEXT STORY: Five Questions for Paul Renner