Florida Primaries: GOP Power Grab and Progressive Challenges Shape Key Races
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Florida voters head to the polls under Republican-drawn maps, with right-wing candidates dominating the governor and Senate races, while progressives and marginalized communities fight for representation in a system stacked against them.
On Tuesday, Floridians will cast ballots in primaries that will determine party nominees for crucial state and federal offices, all under new congressional districts engineered by the Republican-controlled legislature to entrench their power. These primaries mark the first test of these gerrymandered maps, which critics say are designed to dilute the voices of communities of color and progressive voters.
In the Republican governor's race, hard-right Congressman Byron Donalds leads the field, buoyed by an endorsement from Donald Trump, whose toxic legacy continues to shape the party. Other contenders include Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, former State House Speaker Paul Renner, and businessman James Fishback, who has been accused of making racist remarks—yet still remains a viable candidate in the GOP's increasingly reactionary landscape. Notably, Governor Ron DeSantis, whose administration has championed anti-democratic policies, has withheld his endorsement.
On the Democratic side, former Congressman David Jolly is expected to win the gubernatorial primary, running as a centrist at a time when many progressives argue for bolder action to counteract right-wing extremism.
In a congressional race, Rep. Randy Fine—infamous for his anti-Muslim rhetoric and close ties to Trump—faces a challenge from internet personality Daniel Bilzerian, who has circulated an AI-generated video containing antisemitic content. The normalization of bigotry in GOP primaries is so egregious that fifteen Jewish members of Congress issued a joint condemnation of both Fine’s hate speech and Bilzerian’s antisemitic propaganda.
A special election will fill the remainder of Senator Marco Rubio’s term after his appointment as secretary of state. The Republican frontrunner is former Attorney General Ashley Moody, a staunch conservative, while Democrats must choose between former NSC aide Alexander Vindman, known for his principled stance against Trump, and state lawmaker Angie Nixon, a progressive voice for working people. Polls show Moody with a lead, but Nixon and Vindman are close behind, reflecting the uphill battle Democrats face in a state dominated by right-wing interests.
Longtime Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz is running in the redrawn 20th district, which now includes a larger Black electorate. She faces several Black Democratic challengers, including educator Elijah Manley and former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, highlighting the ongoing struggle for racial justice and representation within the Democratic Party.
In Miami, Congressman Jared Moskowitz, a conservative Democrat and staunch supporter of Israel’s military aggression in Gaza, is challenged by democratic socialist Oliver Larkin, who has courageously called out Israel’s actions as genocide. Despite the establishment’s support for Moskowitz, polls show Larkin closing the gap, signaling growing support for anti-war and pro-Palestinian voices.
Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Cory Mills—another Trump loyalist—remains on the ballot in the 7th district despite serious ethics investigations and personal misconduct allegations. Even Governor DeSantis has distanced himself from Mills, but the GOP’s refusal to hold its own accountable means his seat could be vulnerable to a Democratic challenge in November.