Wasserman Schultz To Seek Reelection In New Majority-Black Florida District
On Friday, May 22, 2026, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she will run for reelection in Florida's new, majority-Black 20th Congressional District in South Florida.[1]
The new district was created under a congressional map Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on May 4, 2026, which also eliminated her current South Florida seat and added four Republican-leaning districts.[1] The majority-Black 20th had been represented by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned last month and faces a federal indictment alleging she embezzled about $5 million in disaster aid.[1] Several Black Democrats, including Cherfilus-McCormick, have already declared campaigns in the 20th and have criticized Wasserman Schultz for seeking to represent a majority-Black seat.[1]
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the new congressional map on May 4, 2026, setting the boundaries that eliminated Wasserman Schultz's old seat and created the new 20th.[1] Cherfilus-McCormick's recent resignation left the district without an incumbent, and her indictment has sharpened the primary fight.[1]
Black Democratic leaders and some voters say a white former party chair running in a majority-Black district raises representation concerns that could shape a contentious primary.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, May 22, 2026, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she will run in Florida’s new 20th Congressional District.
- Florida’s new congressional map, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 4, 2026, eliminates her current South Florida seat and creates four additional Republican-leaning districts.
- The majority-Black 20th District had been represented by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned last month and has been indicted on charges of embezzling $5 million in federal disaster aid.
- Multiple Black Democrats, including Cherfilus-McCormick, are also running in the 20th District and criticize Wasserman Schultz, who is white, for seeking to represent the majority-Black seat.
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