Outgoing House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands will seek to replace Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman if she resigns, as some have encouraged her to do in the wake of brutal losses last week.
Sands told the News Service of Florida on Tuesday that he was interested in taking the helm of the demoralized Florida Democratic Party, which lost a fourth straight Florida governors race and all three statewide Cabinet elections last week. Sands, D-Weston, did not call for Thurman to step down, as a few Democrats have done in the wake of the GOP sweep, which also saw the Republican Party expand to supermajorities in the state House and Senate.
Id be interested in running if Karen Thurman decides to step down, Sands said, quickly adding: Its her choice entirely and itd be wrong for anybody to encourage her to.
At least one Democratic lawmaker, Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, has called for Thurmans resignation after the sharp reversal from 2008, when President Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Florida in 12 years.
Thurman has not responded to requests for comment on her future plans, though she had indicated before the election that she might step down afterward, anyway.
If she does, there likely will be numerous candidates to replace her.
Among them would be Miami-Dade Democratic chairman Richard Lydecker, who has the support of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who after January will be the lone statewide elected Democrat.
Other likely candidates include Hillsborough state committeeman Alan Clendenin, Pasco Democratic chairwoman Alison Morano and state party vice-chairman Rhett Bullard. Former Tallahassee state Rep. Loranne Ausley, who ran unsuccessfully this year for chief financial officer, has also been mentioned as a possible contender.
Sands said they were all worthy contenders for the Democratic Party chairmanship, but said the party shouldnt rush to name a replacement.
Ill be calling folks and asking them not to make any decisions before theyve heard from everyone, he said. All the candidates should be vetted. Let the best candidate win.
Newly-appointed House Democratic Leader pro tempore Rep. Joe Gibbons of Hallandale Beach said the state partys executive committee was meeting Tuesday in Miami, and the chairmanship would be a topic of discussion. Sands wasnt planning to attend that meeting, because he was in Tallahassee Tuesday speaking to newly elected representatives from both parties.
Gibbons said he would support Sands if Thurman stepped down, but also wouldnt encourage her to.
As long as shes the leader, Im going to support her, he said. Shes been good to me and we have a good working relationship.
But Gibbons said the Democratic Party needed a leader who could buck up the partys spirits after crushing defeats this year, especially in a tantalizingly close governors race.
Its important because were hurting right now, he said. We need a healer, a strong leader who can rally us back together again. Theres a lot of anger out there (at the state party) because we didnt get the turnout we needed. Weve got to flesh out, but not dwell on, what went wrong.
The one Florida Democrat to come close to winning a statewide election this year, Alex Sink, would not weigh in Tuesday on who should replace Thurman - or even whether she should step down.
I havent begun to think about that at all, Sink, the states outgoing chief financial officer, told reporters Tuesday.
However, Sink pointed to the margin of her narrow loss, about 65,000 votes out of 5 million cast, to indicate that she would continue to play a role in the future of the reeling Democratic Party. Besides Sink, only one other Democrat running for statewide office got more than 40 percent of the vote, unsuccessful attorney general candidate Dan Gelber, who got 41 percent .
Sink noted that about 2.5 million people voted for her. Thats about 50 percent of the people who votedI feel a responsibility to be sure that those voters voices are heard as we go forward.
But with Republicans gaining legislative supermajorities and sweeping the Cabinet races, Sink said the party may have to look beyond elected officials in Tallahassee to find someone to speak for those voices, if she doesnt.
One of the things Im going to be working going forward is that in the course of the campaign and in my administration, I came across dozens of young Floridians who were Democrats who have a passion for public policy and public service and I want to do everything possible to encourage them to put themselves out and get prepared to run for office, she said.
Gelber also said the party should move cautiously in choosing a new leader, if it makes a change.
I never think its wise to make these decisions in wake of election, especially a difficult one, he said Tuesday. You need to let the choppy waters subside a little bit, and figure out what our challenges are and what skill set best fits those challenges.
But Democratic National Committee member Jon Ausman said the road back to state power for Democrats has to start now if they want to reverse Tuesdays results, drawing parallels to when former Gov. Jeb Bush lost the governors race to Lawton Chiles in 1994. Chiles 1.6 percent margin of victory in that race was supplanted as the smallest win by governor by Gov.-elect Rick Scotts 1.16 percent win last week over Sink.
It has to be done over 24 months, Ausman said. Jeb Bush was doing book signings and county commission meetings immediately (after his loss). Even though people dont like (permanent) campaigning, when you meet people when they open a hospital, you connect with them in a way you dont on television.
Ausman said the Democrats would have to continue to focus on competing better in North Florida.
Everyone likes to talk about I-4, but the numbers were run up in the other direction (in the Panhandle), Ausman said.
