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‘This is so earth-shattering.' Florida Democrats praise Biden's choice of Kamala Harris

Miami Herald / Alex Daugherty / August 11, 2020

Joe Biden's decision to pick California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate Tuesday ended a three-month vetting process where Florida Democrats saw one of their own land on Biden's vice presidential shortlist and fretted over another potential pick's ties to Cuba.

But Florida Democrats said a Biden-Harris ticket is welcome news in the country's largest swing state, even though Orlando Rep. Val Demings wasn't chosen.

"This is an earth-shattering moment in the history of women and in particular in the history of black women who have carried the Democratic Party on their shoulders since they got the right to vote," said Miami Rep. Frederica Wilson, an early Harris supporter during the Democratic primaries.

Wilson is one of two Black women in Congress from Florida. "I'm trembling. I'm cheering," she said. "This is amazing."

Demings, the other Black female member of Congress from Florida, said it was "an incredible honor" to be part of Biden's shortlist and praised Harris.

"For a little girl who grew up poor, Black and female in the South to be considered during this process has been an incredible honor," Demings said in a statement. "I feel so blessed. To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from."

And picking Harris likely spares Democrats from facing uncomfortable questions from Florida voters if California Rep. Karen Bass, who was rumored to be a top choice for vice president in recent weeks, had been chosen. Bass referred to Fidel Castro as "comandante en jefe," or commander in chief, after his death in 2016 and traveled to Cuba throughout her life, including with the Venceremos Brigade, a group that has organized annual trips to Cuba for left-leaning Americans since 1969.

While none of Florida's elected Democrats publicly called on Biden to pick someone other than Bass, they privately voiced concerns about her past statements and work on Cuba and worried that it would embolden Republican attacks in South Florida.

But Harris carries no such baggage.

"Kamala Harris has no baggage with Hispanic voters [in Florida]," said Miami-based Democratic strategist and pollster Fernand Amandi, who was publicly critical of Bass. "There's only room for growth and the sky's the limit."

Wilson also said Harris will motivate Black women to support Biden's candidacy and convince their families and friends, too. Biden had previously committed to putting a woman on the ticket but had not said if he would choose a Black woman for vice president. Harris is the first Black woman on a major party's presidential ticket.

"This will go down as one of the greatest moments in the history of the African-American community, in the history of our nation," Wilson said. "She'll be right there and I'll be right there campaigning for Mr. Biden like you wouldn't believe."

Miami Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who encouraged Harris and other candidates to visit the now-shuttered Homestead Detention Center during campaign stops in Miami ahead of the first Democratic presidential debates in June 2020, said Harris "knows how to fight and win."

"Just last year, Kamala Harris joined me and [Miami-Dade County Commissioner] Daniella Levine Cava to help bring attention to the plight of children in migrant detention centers," Mucarsel-Powell tweeted. "Folks, together, we shut down the Homestead Child Detention Facility."

During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Trump attacked Harris for her work as a prosecutor in California, a familiar line of attack from rivals during her presidential campaign that ended in December 2019 before the primaries began. Trump also referred to Harris as "nasty" and said she treated Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh poorly during his 2018 confirmation.

"He's chosen one of the most liberal members of the U.S. Senate," Trump said, of Biden's decision. "I would have thought he would have gone a different way."

Amandi said Harris is well known to Florida voters and appeals to a wide cross-section of the state's diverse electorate.

"It not only puts Florida back firmly in play but you now have to look at the Biden-Harris ticket as the favorite to win the Sunshine State's 29 electoral votes," Amandi said. "She electrifies Black, Caribbean and female voters, which I will anticipate will come out in droves."