Florida Dems elect Diaz party chairman

TALLAHASSEE — After crushing defeats in the November elections, Florida Democrats on Saturday selected former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz to take over as chairman of the state party.

Republican President Donald Trump won comfortably in Florida on Nov.3, with a three percentage-point victory over President-elect Joe Biden. The GOP also added five state House seats, flipped a Senate seat and ousted two South Florida Democratic congresswomen.

Diaz, who replaces Terrie Rizzo, said the Florida Democratic Party is at a crossroads.

“While Democrats all over the nation made gains, we continue to lose ground,” Diaz, who served as mayor of Miami from 2001 to 2009, said during an online meeting Saturday afternoon of the party’s State Executive Committee.

Diaz, 66, emphasized the need for Democrats to work together to make inroads in Florida, where the GOP has controlled both legislative chambers, the governor’s mansion and the state Cabinet for more than two decades.

“We must look past what divides us and build on what unites us, today and in the years to come. The eyes of many in this country will be upon us. Let us show them that we will do everything to turn Florida blue,” he said.

Diaz defeated former state Rep. Cynthia Chestnut of Gainesville and Ione Townsend, chairwoman of Hillsborough County Democrats. Rizzo did not seek another term.

Diaz’s election to head the Democratic party in the third-largest state came amid an ever-growing partisan rift in Florida and the nation, with Trump backers continuing to believe the president’s disproven claims that the election was fraudulent.

The new chairman takes over days after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as members of Congress prepared to vote on the certification of states’ presidential electors to cement Biden’s victory. At least four Florida men have been charged with crimes associated with storming.

“Let us be the ones who bring healing and unity. Let us be what we have always been. Let us be a Florida Democratic Party that speaks for the voiceless, fights for the oppressed and will ensure that America remains the shining beacon of hope and democracy for the entire world,” Diaz said.

Diaz, who was born in Cuba, hails from Miami-Dade County, where Democrats suffered the greatest losses during the 2020 election cycle.