By Mitch Perry, (Source: Florida Phoenix)
Miami Gardens Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones announced Tuesday that he is running for chairman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Executive Committee, following the removal of now-former party chair Robert Dempster last month. Jones says that, if elected, he intends to serve in that role only until the end of the year.
“We’ve seen what happens when we don’t invest in robust, focused outreach and take communities for granted,” Jones said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “This moment calls for a reset for our Miami-Dade County party so that we can re-elect Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and re-elect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to finish the job. That starts with a willingness to step up, show up, and listen to voters’ concerns.”
Miami-Dade has historically been a Democratic stronghold, but that has changed in recent years. Ron DeSantis won the county in 2022, becoming the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win there in 20 years. Democrats lead in voter registration with 35%; non-party-affiliated and other third parties are second with 33% voter registration, and Republicans are at 32%, according to the Miami-Dade County Supervision of Elections as of April 1.
The Florida Democratic Party State Central Committee removed Dempster last month, following his suspension by Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried on March 4. Fried also announced the suspension of two other local party chairs that day — Franklin County’s Carol Barfield and Palm Beach’s Mindy Koch. Fried cited “ongoing and unresolved issues, and failure to comply with the rules that govern all local parties.”
Koch has maintained her position after a vote by the Florida Democratic Party State Central Committee failed to meet the required two-thirds threshold in favor of removal, according to NBC News.
Jones is running unopposed, and he is listing prominent Miami-Dade Democrats as backing his candidacy, including Levine Cava; Congresswoman Frederica Wilson; state lawmakers Jason Pizzo, Christopher Benjamin, Kevin Chambliss, Dotie Joseph, and Felicia Robinson; and Dempster himself.
The vote will be held on April 26.
