MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis wasn’t in Miami Beach Saturday night, but his presence was felt.
The Florida Democratic Party held its annual Leadership Blue gala here, the party’s largest gathering since DeSantis won re-election by nearly 20 percentage points last year, a landslide victory that in many ways felt like the nail in the coffin for Florida Democrats and served as a launching pad for the governor’s 2024 presidential bid.
The mood that hung in the air for most of the weekend, however, was not that of a decadent party. The faltering presidential campaign of DeSantis, who leads Donald Trump by significant double digits in most public polls, has given Democrats a burst of energy they desperately needed.
The event’s keynote speaker was actor Bradley Whitford, a Democratic activist and actor best known for his role on the early 2000s television show “The West Wing.” Whitford spent much of his remarks promoting a Florida Democratic Party that needed a boost and trashing DeSantis.
“Ron DeSantis is a f—– coward,” he said, a comment that drew a standing ovation. “He’s a f—– coward. He’s afraid of history. He’s afraid of people who are different from him. He’s afraid of Donald Trump.”
“That’s right, Top Gov is a little bit lower,” Whitford added.
It was one of the most well-received lines of the night, poking fun at a DeSantis Political Ad Called ‘Top Gov’ who portrayed him as a fighter pilot in the vein of Tom Cruise in the movie “Top Gun”.
“Little Ronnie D can play dress-up and do all the homoerotic Top Gun commercials he wants, but no Florida is free,” he said.
He also poked fun at DeSantis, who was in Miami Saturday night speaking at a private event held by the county’s Republican Party, after being beaten badly in the polls against Trump.
“The more people get to know Ronnie D … the less they seem to like him,” he said.
DeSantis’ campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
The mood at the event, however, belied the institutional challenges Democrats still face in the state as the 2024 election cycle begins to take shape.
For the first time in Florida’s political history, Republicans have surpassed Democrats’ voter registration lead, which in the mid-2000s was roughly 700,000. And the state party is no longer seen as a top priority by a national Democratic Party increasingly focused on cheaper, blue-leaning states like Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona.
Florida Democrats are also without a candidate to challenge Republican Sen. Rick Scott, the state’s biggest non-presidential race next year. The slate of Democratic candidates in the race includes House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, Brevard County School Board member Jennifer Jenkins and former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who was spotted at Fontainbleau in Miami Beach, where the event took place, meeting with former Rep. Val Demings, who ran unsuccessfully against Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in 2022.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried, who was elected in January, has struggled to inject energy into a party that has been perceived as stagnant in recent years. The focus of much of his speech, which kicked off the gala’s main event, was focused not only on rallying the troops, but also on trying to get Republicans out on issues that are often seen as at home on the right politics.
“Let me say it loud and clear, I’m tired. I’m tired of conservatives thinking they have a trademark on the American flag,” she said, pointing to the half-dozen American flags behind her in the ‘stage for the event. “Well they don’t.”
He came out with Tom Petty’s iconic song “I Won’t Back Down,” which was a theme of his speech and a close variation of Never Back Down, the name of the pro-DeSantis super PAC that supported his candidacy for the presidency.
Fried also noted that the state’s Democrats have started the 2024 election cycle with an unexpected wave of momentum, especially in Jacksonville, where in May, Democrat Donna Deegan pulled off an unexpected victory in the mayor’s race against Republican Daniel Davis, backed by DeSantis.
“Winning local races is key to building state infrastructure,” Fried said. “We have to win again.”
It was part of the theme throughout the night that, despite the lingering losses, Florida Democrats see a path back to relevance in what was once the nation’s biggest swing state.
“We’re not giving up on Florida. Don’t give up on Florida,” said Democratic Rep. Fredricka Wilson, standing on stage with the state’s Democratic congressional delegation, which holds just eight of the state’s 28 congressional seats. “Don’t leave Florida.”
Fried closed his remarks by expanding on his promise to try to reinsert the Democratic Party into conservative corners of the state that have long been Republican strongholds. He also shot him DeSantis’ footwearwhich has drawn increasing attention in the presidential campaign due to speculation that she wears boots and elevated shoes. to make it look taller.
“What people see us doing is important. That’s why you’ll see me criss-crossing our state from Pensacola to Key West showing up in places that have been forgotten by this party,” he said.
“I’m not afraid to call their bulls—,” Fried added. “Tastes terrible on shoes…I couldn’t help myself.”
