Florida Democrats are hyped up over Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential run. State Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried wants to use that enthusiasm to spur her party to the polls and drive Democratic voter registration and turnout in the hopes of influencing down-ballot races, including those for local school boards. Fried says she’s trying to build a multi-partisan coalition of voters willing to push back against state Republican policies.
“Everything is possible in this election,” she said, speaking Monday at the Leon County Courthouse. “We are seeing the polls significantly change with Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. That’s why we filled every house, every senate [and] every congressional seat. With Ron DeSantis underwater, the legislature underwater—the issues that matter, they’re [Florida Republicans] are on the wrong side of.”
Republicans have a one million voter advantage in Florida. Much of that gap is due to a greater number of Democrats being placed on an “inactive” voter list. They can be removed after not casting ballots in the last two election cycles. However, those voters can still vote, and Fried says she’s targeting the inactive list to re-engage those people.
Fried also recently made school board candidate endorsements. This is the second election cycle where normally quiet races like those have become flashpoints. Voters are being asked in a November constitutional amendment to decide whether school board races should remain non-partisan. In Leon County, Fried is backing local firefighter and daycare owner Jeremy Rogers in his challenge to incumbent school board member Laurie Lawson Cox.
While both Rogers and Cox have said they believe school board races should be non-partisan, their race has descended into partisan mudslinging, with Republicans largely backing Cox.
“Good for them,” said Rogers while standing next to Fried in front of the Leon County at the courthouse. He was asked about the contradiction between both candidates’ words versus their actions in the race.
“We’re keeping the main thing, the main thing in district 4...getting kids outside; reading, writing, arithmetic; focusing on the main issues like getting attendance up, figuring out how we can do outdoor play with the kids…things like that,” Rogers said.
