Amid months of nationwide U.S. political upheaval driven by congressional redistricting, a heated intra-Democratic primary battle has erupted in Florida’s newly redrawn 20th Congressional District, where Jamaican-American candidate Dale Holness is mounting his third bid for the seat and criticizing a veteran white Democrat’s decision to enter the race.
Holness, a former Broward County mayor and commissioner born in Jamaica, shared his deep disappointment with Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s decision to abandon her long-held 22nd District seat to run in the 20th, a heavily Democratic constituency with a voting population that is nearly 50% Black and home to a large community of Jamaican and Caribbean immigrants. In an exclusive interview with the *Jamaica Observer*, Holness argued that the 21-year congressional incumbent should stay in her original district, where she boasts $2.5 million in cash on hand and deep, decades-long roots with local voters. That move, he contended, would actually strengthen the Democratic Party’s overall chances of picking up more seats across Florida, as Wasserman Schultz would remain a far more competitive candidate in her home territory than she would be as a newcomer to the 20th.
Wasserman Schultz’s internal campaign polls have claimed that the incumbent enjoys strong favorable ratings from the district’s Black electorate, but Holness has pushed back on that data, noting that poll outcomes are heavily shaped by sampling choices and question framing. More critically, he emphasized that the veteran lawmaker’s entrance into the race has already split the Democratic field and sparked significant anger and anxiety among the district’s Black community, who have raised widespread questions about whether the race will erode long-standing Black representation for the district.
In response to the split, negotiations have been ongoing to consolidate support behind a single Black candidate to avoid splitting the vote, and Holness confirmed that a final agreement could come as soon as the Monday following the interview. Already, two Black candidates have exited the primary, with one set to launch a bid for a different congressional seat. Holness, who has collaborated with Wasserman Schultz on local projects in the past, acknowledged that every eligible candidate has a constitutional right to run for office, and despite his concerns, he remains optimistic about his own path forward.
As of the first fundraising quarter before Wasserman Schultz joined the race, Holness led all candidates in campaign contributions, raising $312,000 with zero financial support from political action committees (PACs). By contrast, Federal Election Commission filings show Wasserman Schultz has already received more than $500,000 in PAC contributions for her 20th District bid. When asked whether he would consider stepping aside to support a stronger unified Black candidate, Holness said he would only withdraw if he becomes convinced another candidate is better positioned to win and serve the district. He emphasized his deep, long-standing ties to the 20th District, noting he has remained rooted in the community through its toughest challenges and has a comprehensive policy agenda to improve local quality of life.
This marks Holness’ third attempt to win the seat: he first ran in a 2021 special election, losing by a narrow margin of just five votes to Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. He lost again to McCormick in 2022, when he was vastly outspent by the incumbent. McCormick resigned from Congress in April 2024 after facing ethics investigations, and was later indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple fraud charges connected to the misuse of $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster funds, some of which prosecutors allege was diverted to her 2022 campaign. McCormick has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, and has announced she will still run for re-election.
The winner of the August 18 Democratic primary is all but guaranteed to win the November 2026 general election in the deep-blue district. If Holness prevails, he will make history as the first Jamaican-born person ever elected to the U.S. Congress. Currently, the only congressperson of Jamaican descent serving in Washington is New York’s Yvette Clarke, who was born in the United States to Jamaican immigrant parents.