A Florida primary tests the meaning of representation in a redrawn district

In a Broward County district drawn to consolidate Black voting power, a primary race is forcing a reckoning over what representation means in a diverse democracy. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a white former national party chair, is seeking a 12th term in a newly configured seat that has sent Black Democrats to Congress for over three decades.

The district's boundaries were redrawn by Florida Republicans following a Supreme Court decision that weakened Voting Rights Act protections. The new map clusters Democratic voters in southeast Florida, reducing the state's potential Democratic House seats. Wasserman Schultz, who previously represented a neighboring district, is now the only white candidate in a race where the plurality of voters are Black.

Her opponents, including former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and progressive organizer Elijah Manley, argue that her candidacy erases the district's history and dilutes Black political power. Cherfilus-McCormick, who is facing federal charges she denies, says the redistricting is an attempt to silence the only Haitian American member of Congress. Manley, while acknowledging the map is not Wasserman Schultz's fault, contends she had other options and instead "stabbed us in the back."

Wasserman Schultz counters that her three decades of representing diverse communities in Broward make her uniquely qualified to serve the entire region. She points to her work on the Appropriations Committee and her efforts to connect with constituents across cultures, including learning Spanish. She argues that voters should consider all of her qualities, not just her race.

Voters are divided. Some, like Yusdefs Delgado, a naturalized citizen, trust her to do the right thing. Others, like Von Howard, a Black resident, want someone who "understands the totality of the district." Broward NAACP President Marsha Ellison says the mission of the redistricting was to take away Black power, and that lived experience matters.

Wasserman Schultz remains unapologetic, framing the race as a fight against a political power grab. "Trump and DeSantis did this to our community," she said. "I'll be damned if I'm going to let them steal Broward's political power." The primary on Tuesday will be an early test of whether voters agree.