Nikki Fried vows to rebuild Florida Democrats as re-elected chair

Nikki Fried was reelected Saturday as chair of the Florida Democratic Party, which is seeking to regain relevance in a state that has tilted decidedly toward the Republicans. Fried, who was first chosen as chair in 2023, got more than three-quarters of the vote from the party executive committee over state Sen. Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville. Fried will serve another four years in the role. She was the last Democrat to hold statewide office as agriculture commissioner from 2019-2023 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. Republicans now hold all statewide offices in the third-largest state and dominate both the Legislature and the congressional delegation.