Weekly Talking Points
ELECTION DAY — TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5
Tuesday is election day in Miami-Dade and Polk counties. If you have an election in your area, please use your social media accounts to drive GOTV efforts.
The Florida Democratic Party has issued one endorsement for Tuesday’s elections: Johnny Farias for House District 118.
Christian Ziegler Rape Allegations
On Thursday, the Florida Center for Government Accountability released a bombshell report revealing that Christian Ziegler, Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, is currently under investigation for sexual battery.
Sign and share our petition to demand Ziegler’s resignation immediately.
TOPLINE: Given the severity of the criminal allegations, the Florida Democratic Party has called for Christian Ziegler’s immediate resignation as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.
- Allegations of rape and sexual battery are severe and should be taken seriously.
- We applaud the accuser’s bravery in coming forward against a political figure as powerful as Christian Ziegler.
- Over the weekend, more details including the 911 call and affidavit were released – and Ziegler still hasn’t resigned – it seems he has no plans to do so.
- We trust that the Sarasota Police Department will conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations of criminal behavior.
- Christian Ziegler can’t possibly continue to lead the Florida GOP under these conditions — he’s dragging the party down with him the longer he stays in the job.
Florida GOP Hypocrisy
TOPLINE: The level of hypocrisy in GOP leadership is stunning.
- As leaders in the Florida GOP and Moms for Liberty, the Zieglers have made a habit out of attacking anything they perceive as going against ‘family values’ — be it reproductive rights or the existence of LGBTQ+ Floridians.
- What happens behind closed doors is Christian and Bridget’s personal business, but it’s interesting that two people who are so obsessed with banning books about gay penguins might be engaged in a non-traditional sexual relationship.
- Republican leaders across the country have delivered nothing but chaos, and Floridians deserve better.
Florida Democratic Presidential Primary Ballot Process
At the 2023 Florida Democratic Party State Convention (Oct. 27-29), the State Executive Committee voted unanimously to place President Joe Biden on the ballot. No other candidates received a nomination.
TOPLINE: The Florida Democratic Party followed its process and the State Executive Committee voted unanimously to send one name, Joe Biden, to the Secretary of State as a candidate for the party’s nomination for president.
- The Florida Democratic Party followed its process, which was approved by the State Executive Committee.
- The process to be on the Florida ballot has been publicly available on our website. It clearly states that the Florida Democratic Party’s primary ballot is submitted to the Secretary of State by November 30, 2023.
- The State Executive Committee votes to place candidates on the presidential primary ballot at the Florida Democratic Party’s State Convention every four years.
- Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson did not receive a nomination from our State Executive Committee, therefore, they are not on the ballot in Florida.
- It is not uncommon for an incumbent President to be declared the automatic winner of a presidential primary — this happened with President Obama in 2012.
- The Florida Democratic Party is not going to bend the rules for latecomers or undermine the will of our voters.
Ron DeSantis vs Gavin Newsom
Last Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis debated Governor Gavin Newsom of California. The debate was unrelated to the 2024 presidential race.
TOPLINE: Thursday was just another day in the slow humiliation of Ron DeSantis.
- Debating Governor Newsom was just another attempt to grab headlines ahead of the Iowa caucuses — but he grabbed the wrong kind of headlines.
- Florida has 99 problems, and Ron DeSantis is responsible for every single one.
- Ron’s campaign is in a tailspin — his approval rating is underwater, his poll numbers have cratered, and big money conservatives like the Koch network are lining up to fund his opponents.
- Ron DeSantis will never be President of the United States, and his days on the campaign trail are numbered.
We have won some very big races this year because of the hard work of our DECs, Clubs, and Caucuses. From the high-profile Jacksonville Mayor’s seat to many local municipal seats, we have rebuilt this party to compete in all areas of our state.
As we see the Republican Party of Florida’s implosion — from their State Party Chair who has been criminally charged, to DeSantis continually being humiliated on the national stage — we are in a moment, and we have another opportunity in front of us to win HD 118.
Election Day is Tuesday, December 5th, and I ask that everyone join me in making phone calls to encourage voters to go vote in this election. We can win this race with your help!
Forward,
Nikki Fried
Chair
Florida Democratic Party
Last Week in FDP
- The Florida Democratic Party announced three new hires:
- Danielle Hawk, Director of Candidates & Campaigns
- Camila Cisneros, Deputy Digital Director
- Maya Anderson, Finance Assistant
- Chair Fried hosted a media availability to preview the “Red State – Blue State debate” between Governors Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis.
- After it became public that FL GOP Chair Christian Ziegler was being criminally investigated for sexual battery, Chair Fried issued a statement demanding he resign.
- Sign our petition to demand the FL GOP Chair to resign
FDP 12 Days of Service – December 1-December 12
“Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” – Michelle Obama
Florida Dems will close the 2023 year with 12 days of service, engaging in community service projects throughout the state from December 1 to December 12.
We encourage you to join our campaign by creating a community service event during the first 12 days of December. Share your photos for a shout out, and to encourage others to give back!
If you and/or your team are planning a Day of Service event, please let us know by submitting this Form: Click Here.
We will uplift photos of Dems giving back to their communities and encouraging others to join us in service. Submit your photos to join our campaign with a brief description, including your name or group name to press@floridadems.org with subject line “12 Days of Service.”
Service ideas include but are not limited to:
- Donating to holiday food drives
- Donate blood
- Volunteer at your local senior center
- Organize a community clean-up
- Service meals at the foodbank
- Donate your extra toiletries
For more suggestions, click here.
FDP Priority: Abortion Ballot Initiative
Statewide Day of Action → December 15, 2023
(More information coming soon)
We have until December 31, 2023 to collect petitions for the abortion ballot initiative! You can join the Floridians for Reproductive Freedom’s Neighbor to Neighbor program and start canvassing your neighborhood immediately!
First, get in touch with your local county Democratic Party to coordinate your efforts! Then, join our organizing app Reach. You will be able to just type in your street name in the Search screen of the Reach App and you will see all of the voters on your street.
This is a great feature for Precinct Organizers!
You can knock on doors and record whether they have signed the petition and all of the responses will be immediately synced to VAN. Click here to review the step by step process and start collecting petitions in your neighborhood!
Voter Registration
Unregistered Voter Data: We are working with vendors as well as the DNC in preparation for launching our Voter Registration program on January 2024. We will be obtaining updated unregistered voter data that contains addresses, emails, and phone numbers for each county in Florida. The geocoded data will be available in VAN for canvassing as well as phone banking and texting via activist codes. If you are interested in collaborating, coordinating, and supporting our data acquisition efforts for unregistered voter data, please email Kris at kris@floridadems.org.
DEC Chairs: If you have not scheduled your voter registration plan meeting with our staff, please do so so we can work together to develop your plan for the next year. For counties who have submitted VR Grant Proposals, we will use your plan as a starting point. Book your meeting now.
REACH Trainings:
2023 Reach Training Schedule
Voter Registration Legal Guidance & FAQ’s
REACH – UPDATE ON LEGAL GUIDANCE: Regarding the use of personal and organizational devices to register voters. We are glad to have worked out a policy to ensure we are empowering Democrats on the ground to register voters. Please see updated policy here.
Voter Registration Program Goals by 2024
Looking for Reach Trainers
Would you like to join our FDP Reach Trainers Group? We are meeting every Friday during lunchtime to discuss the implementation and rollout of Reach throughout Florida in preparation for our full launch in 2024. Interested in joining? Email kris@floridadems.org to get plugged in.
What we need from each DEC by 2024 for each county:
- 1 Voter Registration Coordinator
- 1 Data Coordinator
- 1 Reach Coordinator/Admin
In order to achieve our goal to reduce the voter registration gap by 35% in 2024, we need to work together. We are asking all DEC’s to appoint a Voter Registration Coordinator for your county as well as a Reach Coordinator/Admin. They can be the same person or could be two individual people.
These skilled individuals will work directly with our Voter Registration Director to execute the voter registration plan for their county. Please fill out the VAN Training Survey to let us know who your Voter Registration Coordinator will be.
1 Data Coordinator per County
We are working with the FL Data Director Council to form an integrated and unified data infrastructure and we need to ensure we have at least 1 Data Coordinator per county so that our DEC’s have the support they need with all things data. Please fill out the VAN Training Survey to let us know who your Data Coordinator(s) will be.