Shalala Unbound
The oldest female freshman ever elected to the House mocks Trump’s latest Obamacare move, downplays the power of the Squad and waxes nostalgic about an old foe named Rush
In an election season In which the progressive ideas of the Squad, Bernie Sanders and other like-minded Democrats are being hotly debated by both conservatives and liberals, Florida Democrat Donna Shalala is determined to carve out space just left of the center lane. The oldest woman ever elected as a freshman to the House of Representatives, Shalala, 79, is a self-described “pragmatic progressive,” who likes to tout her ability to get along with all factions of her own party as well as her work with colleagues across the political aisle.
Her opponent, Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, is having none of it. In a series of tweets earlier this year, the popular Cuban American broadcast journalist accused Shalala of not pushing back enough against her “bro” Bernie and “sisters” AOC and the Squad when they were “singing communism and socialism’s praises.” Salazar also said that Shalala has been “disturbingly silent” while “some members of her party peddle the same radical socialist agenda that has ruined the countries from which many of us escaped.”
Shalala is unfazed. Instead, she heads into her first re-election campaign with a surprising level of relish, gleefully focused on her mission to defeat Salazar, whom she beat by six points in 2018, by an even bigger margin this time. That win two years ago flipped Shalala’s Miami-area district to Democratic control after being represented for nearly 30 years by Republican Ileana Ros-lehtinen, who retired.
Despite her rookie status in Congress, Shalala is an experienced Washington hand, having served as secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton. Among the other positions on her long resume: chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-madison, president of the University of Miami and president of the Clinton Foundation.
Shalala talked to Newsweek about her House race, her storied career and a massive political blunder committed by President Donald Trump that she thinks made her path to a second term far smoother. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
How is it different to be an incumbent?
Oh, it’s so much easier! I don’t have to run on my resume. I can run on what I’ve actually been able to do. Even though I’m not on the health committees, I’ve played a leadership role on all of the important health bills that have been moving through Congress. I’ve worked hard on things like child care and higher education issues— particularly on taking on the private for-profit universities that are ripping off low-income people and veterans.
My 2018 race was tough because I got chewed up first in the primary by the Bernie people. I’m past that now.
You won election in 2018 by campaigning to defend the Affordable Care Act from Republicans trying to kill it. How did you react when the Trump administration filed a brief in June pushing for the Supreme Court to invalidate the ACA?
It was an absolute gift! I have the largest enrollment in Obamacare of any congressional district in the country over 100,000 people. I don’t know whether they’re Republicans or Democrats, but I know that 100,000 people in my district do not want to lose their health insurance. And particularly now. It was the most idiotic thing to do! I was dumbstruck! In a good way!
What else are the big issues this time around?
It’s mismanagement and mishandling of COVID-19 not only by the president but also by our governor [Republican Ron Desantis]. And it’s still health care coverage, because what the virus has revealed is the big gap in who has access to affordable care. And, like last time, it’s the governor’s failure to extend Medicaid and our need to expand Obamacare to cover everybody that’s left out.
“[Rush Limbaugh] called me ‘the High Priestess of Political Correctness!’ That all seems so quaint now.”
That’s why I wouldn’t overread those other elections. A candidate fits into their district. Was I surprised Rashida [Tlaib] won her primary? No, because Rashida is a heck of a legislator who had state government experience. The district knows her and knows that she’s delivered time after time. She pays attention. She doesn’t focus on national issues. She focuses on issues that involve her district.
Many Democrats who flipped seats in 2018 have gone to pains to show their bipartisanship. Have you?
Yes. I have co-sponsored a series of bills with Republicans. I sponsored a bill with [Trump acolyte and Florida Rep.] Matt Gaetz, of all people, to legalize marijuana for the purposes of research, moving it from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 for research purposes.