Hastings’ seat draws Democratic interest
The death of Congressman Alcee Hastings on Tuesday will touch off a competitive Democratic primary for a seat in a majority Black district that hasn’t been open since 1992.
But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ultimately has the power to determine when the special election to replace Hastings will happen, and leaving a deep blue seat unfilled for months will help Republicans in Washington as they attempt to stop President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.
DeSantis hasn’t announced plans for a special primary and general election, and Hastings’ seat is the first vacancy in the state’s U.S. House delegation since DeSantis assumed office.
If precedent is any guide, Hastings’ eventual successor could be selected by voters in about six months. Rep. C. W. Bill Young was the last Florida member to die in office in October 2013, and former Gov. Rick Scott held a special election in March 2014.
“Whoever is next has big shoes to fill, and they’re going to be responsible to a community that’s going to expect and require their [representative] to be present first and foremost because that’s what [Hastings] was,” said Juan Peñalosa, the former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. “I would expect that the governor would not play politics with this.”
DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on a potential special election. In a statement, DeSantis said Hastings’ “service to our state will be remembered.”
Two candidates previously filed paperwork to run in 2022: Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who ran against Hastings in 2020 and received 30.7% of the vote in the Democratic primary.
A number of other Democrats are expected to at least consider a run, including state Sens. Perry Thurston and Shevrin Jones, former state Sen. Chris Smith, former Broward County mayor Dale Holness and Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam.
“I believe over the next few weeks there will be a diverse pool of people who will be in that race,” Jones said. “I think people will have to decide who will continue the work of Alcee Hastings. No decisions have been made on my end, but it’s going to be interesting.”
Despite being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly after winning reelection in 2018, Hastings ran in 2020 and planned to run in 2022.
Some Democrats are concerned that a large pool of Black candidates for the seat could open the door for a non-Black candidate to win a special primary election that’s likely to have low turnout. There’s also the possibility that a large group of Broward-based candidates could end up splitting a geographically based vote and handing the seat to a candidate from Palm Beach County, which accounts for about a third of the district’s population.
It’s highly unlikely the district will elect a Republican. Hastings’ seat is the second-most Democratic leaning in the entire state, slightly behind Rep. Frederica Wilson’s neighboring district in MiamiDade County.
There’s also a chance that Hastings’ seat could look much different after 2022, especially without a longtime incumbent in place. The Voting Rights Act that forced the creation of Hastings’ district in 1992 was significantly weakened, and Republicans control the redistricting process in Florida. It’s not clear how many new U.S. House seats Florida will gain after Census data is finalized, but Republicans will likely try to draw seats to increase their current 16-11 advantage.
Peñalosa said whoever wins the low-turnout special election will likely be the candidate that best uses the tactics that Hastings employed throughout his 28 years in office — a personal touch combined with the deep knowledge of the people and issues that matter to some of Florida’s poorest communities.
“His style of leadership is a guide to modern-day campaigning,” Peñalosa said. “Those of us who worked with him know that digital metrics, TV placements and mailers meant a lot less to him. You kind of walked down the street and you’d see him speaking to people with their first name.”