By james art 
Nikki Freed voices Kamala Harris on Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down
When Florida Democratic Party Chairman Nikki Fried delivered the state’s delegate votes for Kamala Harris, she did so to a familiar tune.
Nikki Fried will continue to lead the Florida Democratic Party, which is at historic lows in voter approval and relevance at the state Capitol in Tallahassee.
Fried, who led the party after the sudden resignation of Manny Diaz after the 2022 elections. and the Republican transfer of all state offices, was overwhelmingly re-elected state chairman Saturday in Lake Buena Vista. She immediately promised to continue organizing and mobilizing opposition against the ruling Republicans.
“We will focus on winning local races, push our state legislators to advance policies that support hard-working Floridians and make our state more affordable for all, and stand up to Republicans in Washington who want to pass extreme Florida policies statewide,” Fried said in a statement released Saturday after the vote.
“We’re just getting started and we won’t back down.”
The decision by more than 400 state committee members to stay on course with Fried’s plans to build a Democratic majority comes ahead of the 2026 election, when the governorship, cabinet offices and a seat in the U.S. Senate will be on the ballot.
And it follows a 2024 campaign in which the party posted its worst showing since the 1866 election, when most Democrats were unable to vote because they rebelled.
Democrats: Out of power
Democrats have been the minority in Florida’s state capitol since 1998. ever, but the double-digit victories of President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott two months ago put a thick exclamation point on GOP dominance in the Sunshine State.
Trump quadrupled his 3-point margin of victory from four years ago; Scott scored his first win of over 1% in his four national races.
What’s more, Republicans hold all statewide elected offices and hold super majorities in the legislature and congressional delegations.
Rejected by voters at the polls and derided by Gov. Ron DeSantis as having as much relevance in Tallahassee as “a dead body on the side of the road,” some wonder if the party is permanently wounded. Others are looking for ways to build a coalition of working and middle-class voters to challenge GOP dominance.
The immediate challenge facing Democrats who rallied to elect Fried as party leader is how, without a functioning local party in 27 of the state’s 67 counties, they will erase the GOP’s nearly 1.2 million registration advantage voters in the state.
Three ideas have emerged among Democrats as they try to start anew. The most provocative proposal supported by Fried is to invite non-party-affiliated voters to participate in the Democratic primary — NPAs currently make up 29 percent of registered voters.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether a legislative change would be needed, but Fried promised to do so.
“To get to the majority of elected officials who are Democrats, we have to make sure that independents feel like there’s a home here,” Fried said. “Getting independents into the hands of the Democratic Party is something that will be explored to accomplish that.”
James Cole is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected] and is on X as @CallTallahassee.