Top Tweets for #PoliticalInnovators

—-Reposting this because I found an error. Florida Democrats Must Face the Truth — Or Keep Losing Let’s be clear: what happened in Florida’s special congressional elections this week was not a win. It wasn’t a “historic overperformance.” It was a missed opportunity—one with serious consequences—and a case study in what happens when party leadership refuses to organize and tell the truth. In Florida’s 1st Congressional District (CD1), voter turnout was just over 25%, and in Florida’s 6th (CD6), it was only slightly better. According to Newsweek, 38,107 Democrats turned out early or by mail in CD6 out of 142,347 registered Democrats—roughly 26.8% turnout, meaning more than 73% stayed home. And yet, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried issued a statement claiming these results represented “historic performances” for the party, pointing to narrower margins than in previous cycles. This kind of spin doesn’t just miss the moment—it betrays it. I didn’t endorse Josh Weil, but I genuinely believed he was running a decent campaign. He raised more than $10 million—a staggering amount for a special election—more than enough to overcome many structural barriers, including the widespread expiration of mail ballot requests after SB 90. But a decent campaign without deep organizing and a mobilized base is not enough. Gay Valimont, who ran in CD1, was facing impossible odds without a strong grassroots operation behind her. Here’s the hard truth: where Democrats had mail ballots, they voted. In CD6, approximately 84% of Democrats who received mail ballots returned them. But only about 17% of registered Democrats in the district had active requests. With basic infrastructure—mail ballot outreach, education, and follow-up—we could have easily doubled vote-by-mail turnout. That alone could have cut Randy Fine’s margin of victory by tens of thousands of votes. This race was winnable—not in theory, but in numbers. Ms. S. Patel, a former Democratic county chair in an area that included this deep-red district, shared that her volunteer team increased Democratic mail ballot enrollment by over 15,000 in just six months leading up to the 2018 election—without national attention and without $11 million. They organized. It can be done. We cannot keep accepting excuses when we know what’s possible. And let’s be clear about who Randy Fine is. This is a man who: - Threatened to cut Special Olympics funding during a personal dispute with a local official (Florida Today, 2022); - Introduced or supported legislation to lower the minimum working age and restrict the display of the Pride flag; - Made inflammatory and offensive social media posts, including gleeful rhetoric about military action in Gaza; - And has a long, well-documented record of bullying, bigotry, and personal attacks on constituents and critics. This is someone who demanded a full-force opposition. Instead, he got consultants and a party press release. This moment demands truth, not deflection. It demands strategy, not self-congratulation. Florida Democrats deserve leadership willing to face reality, build infrastructure, and treat working people like the heart of this party—not an afterthought. We need: - Organizers, not just fundraisers. - And DEFINITELY not consultants. - Candidates who inspire, not just perform. - A base that’s activated, not just registered. To party leadership: commit to doing the hard work—or make room for those who will. The future of Florida—and of the country—depends on it. Do better. Or step aside. The only thing “historic” about this moment is the level of denial coming from party leadership.