Democratic Party Is Imploding in Florida

The Florida Democratic Party on Monday suspended three county chairs following what it claimed were repeated violations of party rules in an event one reporter dubbed the “Monday Massacre.”

Miami-Dade chair Robert Dempster, Franklin chair Carol Barfield and Palm Beach chair Mindy Koch were stripped of their positions. Florida Democrat chair Nikki Fried said in a statement that the move formed part of “an overall strategy to get our local parties back on track.”

Over the past few years, Florida, once a swing state, has turned increasingly Republican especially since Governor Ron DeSantis took office in January 2019. While a widely anticipated Republican “red wave” failed to materialize in the 2022 midterm elections DeSantis secured reelection with 59 percent of the vote, with strong showings in some traditionally Democratic areas such as Miami-Dade County.

In a statement posted on the Florida Democrats website Fried said: “Due to ongoing and unresolved issues, and failure to comply with the rules that govern all local parties, the Florida Democratic Party has made the decision to suspend the Chairs of the Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Franklin DECs and rebuild in 2024.

“Candidates and elected officials rely on their local democratic parties to register voters, mobilize volunteers and engage donors to support their efforts—and they are impacted the most when they are not working effectively.

“The success of Florida Democrats depends on the success of our local parties on the ground, and the majority of our DECs are working tirelessly to organize year-round across the state. There is too much at stake to ignore the challenges before us and we need all of our local parties engaged in our mission to take back Florida.”

The decision came just over a month after the Florida Democrats wrote to Dempster on February 1 accusing him of being out of compliance with party rules and giving him one month to rectify it.

Dempster told the Miami Herald that he is contesting the suspension and is “pretty confident I’ll be reinstated” at the next Florida Democratic Party central committee meeting. Removing a party chair from their post requires a two-thirds committee vote, with the body containing 120 members.

Referring to the allegations against him Dempster added: “I don’t think it comes anywhere near the bar warranting a suspension.”

Fried also wrote to Koch, chair of the Palm Beach County Democrats, on Monday claiming she “failed to comply with the January 11, 2024 Judicial Council Agreement by not cancelling the contracts you entered into without approval.”

Fried also claimed Koch’s “removal of members and inability to find compromise within your membership” had created a situation where “as State Chair it is my responsibility to intervene.”

Miami based Bulwark Online political reporter Marc Caputo shared a copy of Fried’s letter on X, formerly Twitter, describing it as part of a “Monday Massacre.”

Newsweek has reached out to the Florida Democrats for comment via the party’s online press inquiry form.

In February, Fried faced social media backlash after refusing to say whether or not she thinks a transgender woman could get an abortion. It came while the Florida Supreme Court heard arguments over a proposed constitutional amendment aiming to increase abortion access in the state by limiting “government interference with abortion.”

Asked by a conservative news outlet whether transgender women can give birth or have an abortion, Fried replied: “I am not a doctor.

“And I think this amendment speaks for itself. It is very clear on the language. Again, it goes back to medical professionals, not politicians, not elected officials telling people what to do with their bodies and interfering with medical decisions.”

Florida Democrats did have a significant victory in January, when Tom Keen flipped District 35 in the state House, beating Republican Erika Booth, 11,390 votes to 10,800.