Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an 11-term congresswoman and former chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, faced strong pushback from Black Democratic leaders after she chose to run for reelection in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, a seat held by Black lawmakers for almost 30 years.
The decision has put her against four Black candidates in the Democratic primary and sparked concerns that the race could weaken Black political representation in a district that they have represented for nearly three decades.
With the August 18 primary approaching, Democratic leaders across South Florida have accused Wasserman Schultz of creating an unnecessary divide within the party at a critical moment.
Why she ended up in District 20
Florida Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis redrew the state’s congressional districts in 2026, eliminating Wasserman Schultz’s old 25th District, which covered much of southern Broward County.
The new map placed her home in the 22nd District, a more Republican-leaning area stretching from Delray Beach to Miami Beach.
Several Black Democrats argued that Wasserman Schultz should have run there instead, saying she could have posed a stronger challenge to Republicans.
Instead, she chose to run in the 20th District, even though she does not live there. The choice made Wasserman Schultz the only white candidate in a part of Broward County that had sent Black Democrats to Congress since 1992.
Black leaders push back against Wasserman Schultz
Former District 20 representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick criticized Wasserman Schultz’s decision, suggesting that the longtime congresswoman was unwilling to take on a more difficult race in the district where she now lives.
“The fact that she’s abandoning her district and coming into our district, it doesn’t give people any faith that she will stand and she will fight.”
Elijah Manley, a teacher and political activist also running for the seat, was direct in letting her thoughts known.
“To have somebody running here and try to divide and conquer the district is going to hurt the party in irreparable ways,” he said. “People may stay home in November. People may leave the party.”
The Florida Legislative Black Caucus calls her move “disheartening” and “painful”
The Florida Legislative Black Caucus had also asked Wasserman Schultz to pick a different district before she got in the race. After she entered the 20th District anyway, the caucus called the move “disheartening,” saying she went against clear requests from the Black community to run elsewhere.
“It’s a painful situation,” Rep. Yvette Clarke stated, “to have a beloved colleague who made a decision basically to run in a district where historically there’s been CBC representation and I know that the community has been really disrupted by it.”
Wasserman Schultz defends her run
Wasserman Schultz has defended her decision by pointing to her long record in Congress and her history of representing communities across Broward County.
She currently serves as co-chair of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which assigns lawmakers to committees and helps shape party strategy.
“I know how to stand up for, fight for and represent diverse communities and the feedback that I’m getting all across Congressional District 20 has been enthusiastic and supportive, because they know this is a community, this is a district that knows me,” she told NBC News’s Kristen Welker.
“I’ve represented nine of the 14 cities in this district. They know me and I know them and they know that they want someone who has the seasoning, the experience,” she added.