Progressive House candidate Elijah Manley on Monday accused Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) of trying to dilute black representation by running in a newly drawn South Florida district where she faces four black candidates in Tuesday’s primary.
Manley, 27, criticized the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman on Monday during an interview on CNN, calling her decision to seek reelection in Florida’s redrawn 20th Congressional District “cynical.”
“I think that ultimately it’s up to the voters. And not every voter is going to vote, you know, on racial lines,” Manley said. “I think it’s cynical for the congresswoman to carpetbag into a district and try to take away black representation in a split field.”
Wasserman Schultz, 59, is running in the 20th District after Florida’s GOP-controlled state legislature approved a new congressional map in the spring that significantly reshaped the state’s political boundaries. The 20th district, which includes Fort Lauderdale, has traditionally been represented by a black member of Congress and remains deeply Democratic.
Manley acknowledged concerns that the crowded field could split the black vote and help Wasserman Schultz win the Democratic nomination. Former Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April after she was accused of stealing disaster relief money, is running for the seat again. Additionally, former rapper Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell and former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness are seeking the nomination.
“I do wish we had consolidated behind one person,” Manley said. “But that’s very hard to do when you have a lot of candidates running and everybody has their, you know, their dreams, their ambitions, their ideals. And we’re not all a monolith in the black community.”
The primary has also become an ideological fight over the direction of the Democratic Party. Manley attacked Wasserman Schultz from the left over healthcare, Israel, and campaign contributions, saying Democrats need lawmakers who will more closely follow the party’s progressive base.
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“We differ in many other areas about the direction of which the Democratic Party should be heading,” Manley said Monday. “I think this is an important moment for South Florida so we can leave the past behind and move to the future. This is an individual that, in the past, has supported [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] detention facilities and has taken money from private payday lenders, private prisons, any corporation you name.”
Florida voters head to the polls Tuesday for the state’s primary election. Over the weekend, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) attended a campaign rally for Manley and other progressive challengers of her House colleagues.