The Democratic Party in Florida has recently showcased an image that encapsulates much of the tension currently rippling through the party on a national level.
On Tuesday, David Jolly, a former Republican congressman turned Democrat, won the gubernatorial nomination decisively. He presented himself as a center-left candidate capable of uniting moderates, independents, and progressives.
On the same day, Angie Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, unexpectedly secured the Democratic nomination for the Senate.
These victories are not contradictory; they reflect a party experimenting with different electoral strategies tailored to the territory and voters it aims to reach.
Cuba's Influence on Florida Politics
In Florida, the Democratic Party faces an additional challenge: the issue of Cuba and the Cuban-American vote is pushing some Democrats to abandon much of their traditional rhetoric and adopt tougher stances against the Cuban regime.
Florida has transformed from a competitive battleground to a Republican stronghold. Donald Trump has won the state in three consecutive elections, and Ron DeSantis secured a resounding reelection in 2022. No Democrat has won the governorship since 1994.
Jolly’s candidacy is therefore a political experiment. The ex-Republican attempts to rebuild a Democratic coalition from the center, focusing on issues such as cost of living and public services, while avoiding the party's identification solely with its progressive wing. The Associated Press described his candidacy as an effort to prove that Democrats can still compete in Florida.
Cuban Policy: A New Democratic Stance
The approach to Cuban policy offers a clear example of this adjustment. Jolly has not sought to court Cuban-American voters by advocating for dialogue with Havana. Instead, he has taken a much firmer stance.
In May, he supported the Justice Department's indictment against Raúl Castro for the downing of Brothers to the Rescue planes, labeling the incident as an act of state terrorism. The federal government accused Castro and other Cuban officials of their alleged involvement in the downing of two civilian American aircraft in 1996.
Later, Jolly expressed on Univision his hope that Donald Trump and Marco Rubio succeed in achieving a "free Cuba," showing confidence in the Secretary of State's understanding of Cuba and the Cuban-American community in South Florida.
Jolly’s position contrasts with that of Donalds, who has advocated for a "total regime change" and stated he would not oppose a potential decision by Trump and Rubio to use force. Nonetheless, Jolly’s stance marks a significant departure from the traditional Democratic image regarding Cuba.
His message seems to be that a Democrat can advocate for a free Cuba, condemn Castroism, and support actions against its leaders without becoming a Republican.
The Case of Phil Ehr: Pushing Boundaries
Phil Ehr’s case is even more revealing. The Democratic congressional candidate for Florida's 28th District announced this week his support for a "decisive U.S. military action to remove the communist regime" if Congress receives a mission deemed credible and legally authorized. His proposal also includes a plan for transition and reconstruction in Cuba.
Ehr is candid about his strategy being linked to his district's electorate. The 28th District encompasses southwest Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys, areas where Cuban-Americans are the most influential political bloc. In 2024, Ehr lost to the Cuban-American Republican Carlos Giménez by 64.5% to 35.6%.
Before the military announcement, Ehr had already adopted a tough rhetoric. In April, he stated that "negotiating with communist Cuba is not the way to free the Cuban people" and emphasized the need to "strangle the regime to liberate the people."
Ehr is not simply moderating the Democrats' Cuban policy to make it more palatable in Miami. He aims to challenge the Republicans on the ground of maximum pressure, even on an issue as extreme as the possibility of military action.
Progressive Gains Amidst Strategic Shifts
Despite the shift towards more competitive positions in Florida, the Democratic Party is not entirely moving toward the center. Angie Nixon’s victory illustrates this point.
Nixon, part of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated former Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman in the Democratic primary for the Senate, despite having fewer resources. Her platform includes Medicare for All, public education, universal childcare, affordable housing, raising the federal minimum wage, and higher taxes on millionaires.
Her success comes at a time when the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is gaining strength across various states. While this does not mean socialists are in control or that their candidates are automatically competitive in general elections, it shows a more organized and electorally visible left wing than a decade ago.
The results in Florida encapsulate a paradox: the same party that nominated a socialist for the Senate also chose an ex-Republican for governor, aiming for a moderate image.
Beyond a Simple Left-Center Divide
Reducing the Democratic Party's internal debate to a simple "left" vs. "center" struggle is insufficient. There is also a growing trend within the party that seeks to maintain progressive positions while using less ideological, more results-oriented language.
In the 2026 midterm elections, Democratic strategists pushed for a strategy focused on issues like inflation, housing, and cost of living, aiming to present the party as more pragmatic and less focused on ideological disputes.
In this context, Gavin Newsom emerges as an interesting figure. The California governor remains liberal on numerous issues but has attempted to combine this profile with more populist, pragmatic rhetoric and a willingness to challenge the left's "purity tests."
Newsom is not a "moderate" in the classic sense. It is more accurate to see him as a progressive seeking to broaden his electoral appeal while avoiding being trapped in the party's rigid positions.
This nuance is important because the Democratic adjustment does not seem to be moving toward a singular ideological center. It appears more like an attempt to build a party capable of speaking different languages depending on the electorate.
Adapting to the Cuban-American Community
In Florida, Cuba is one of these testing grounds. Republicans have long used opposition to Castroism as part of their political identity in South Florida. This advantage has strengthened in recent years, especially after Miami-Dade's significant shift towards the Republican Party and Florida’s solidification as a Trump stronghold.
However, some Democrats are arriving at a different conclusion: to win back Cuban-American voters, they may not need to moderate their stance on Cuba; they might need to toughen it.
Jolly approaches this from the center, while Ehr has taken it much further. Both are trying to demonstrate that rejecting the Cuban regime and advocating for democratic transition can be part of a Democratic platform.
The electoral goal is clear: prevent the Republican Party from claiming Cuban policy as exclusively theirs.
The challenge is equally apparent. The Democratic Party will need to maintain this discourse on Cuba without alienating its progressive wing, which holds more cautious positions on military interventions and foreign policy. Ehr, for instance, occupies a stance that hardly represents the national Democratic left.
Jolly has an advantage in this regard: he can condemn the regime and advocate for a free Cuba without committing to military intervention. This approach aligns well with his strategy to attract moderates and independents.
The November Paradox
The election between Donalds and Jolly will be more than a contest between two candidates. It will also test what kind of Democratic Party can compete again in Florida.
Donalds benefits from a state that has shifted decisively toward Republicans, supported by Trump. Jolly seeks to prove that there is still room for a moderate Democrat capable of rebuilding a broad electoral coalition.
Meanwhile, Nixon’s victory shows the party is not abandoning its left wing, and Ehr’s candidacy reveals that, at least in Florida, some Democrats are willing to adopt positions on Cuba that until recently seemed almost exclusively Republican.
The underlying issue is broader than Cuba. The Democratic Party is searching for a formula to be simultaneously more competitive, pragmatic, and capable of maintaining the enthusiasm of an increasingly influential left.
Florida could become one of the most intriguing laboratories for this process, with Cuba, due to the electoral weight of the Cuban-American exile, likely being one of its most important experiments.
Key Questions on Florida's Political Landscape and Cuban-American Vote
What is the significance of David Jolly's candidacy in Florida?
David Jolly's candidacy represents a political experiment focused on rebuilding a Democratic coalition from the center, emphasizing practical issues like cost of living and public services to appeal to moderates, independents, and progressives in Florida.
How are Democrats responding to the Cuban-American vote in Florida?
Democrats are adjusting their approach by adopting tougher stances against the Cuban regime, moving away from traditional dialogue advocacy, to regain support among Cuban-American voters who have traditionally leaned Republican.
What challenges do Democrats face with their stance on Cuba?
Democrats must balance tough rhetoric on Cuba to win back Cuban-American voters while not alienating the party’s progressive wing, which generally favors cautious positions on foreign interventions and military actions.