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Florida Democratic Party Warns Activists: Stop Calling Yourselves 'Democrats'

Florida Democratic League via Twitter

The Florida Democratic Party is threatening legal action against a group it says is impersonating it. The group calling itself the Florida Democratic League has been publicly voicing several positions that conflict with the party’s.

Democratic Party spokesman Joshua Karp says the Democratic League has held a series of press conferences in recent weeks around Miami.

“It sounds like they don’t support immigration reform. It sounds like they don’t support DREAMers. It sounds like they don’t support gay rights. It sounds like they don’t support marriage equality. And those are positions that don’t represent the mainstream of the Democratic Party," Karp says.

After one press conference last week, Democratic League President Eladio Jose Armesto said in an interview with WFSU News that he leads "the state’s largest Hispanic-led Democratic organization."

We asked: “And when you say ‘Democratic organization,’ you mean affiliated with the Democratic Party?”

He replied, “Yes, with the Democratic Party. Correct.”

The party mailed a cease-and-desist letter to Armesto’s group this week.  It says it’s illegal to use the party’s name without written consent from the party itself.