Wasserman Schultz wins Florida Democratic primary for historic Black district

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz has won a contentious Democratic primary in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, positioning the 21-year House veteran to return to Congress for another term. The Associated Press projected her victory on the evening of August 18, 2026, after she secured a plurality in a crowded field against four Black challengers. Her win marks the first time a white candidate will represent the historically Black district since its creation over three decades ago.

Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, chose to run in the deep-blue 20th District after mid-decade redistricting in Florida reconfigured her former 25th District into a Republican-leaning seat. The new maps, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, prompted her decision in late May to run in the adjacent district, which covers parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties and has a plurality Black population. This move drew immediate and sustained criticism from within her own party, as the district has been represented by a Black member of Congress since the 1990s.

Her primary opponents-former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, former Broward County Mayor Dale...