Miami-Dade Democrats tap state Sen. Shevrin Jones to lead struggling party

Miami-Dade Democrats elected state Sen. Shevrin Jones on Friday to lead their flagging party, putting a rising political star and ally of President Joe Biden at the helm of the state’s largest county Democratic organization.

Jones’ victory over three other candidates — Biscayne Gardens Chamber of Commerce President Bernard Jennings, Miami-Dade College Democrats President Manuel Fernandez and Miami-Dade Progressive Caucus’s Angel Montalvo — caps off a chaotic month for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party that saw now-former Chairman Robert Dempster booted out of his job and a tumultuous race to succeed him.

In choosing Jones to lead the party, Miami-Dade Democrats opted for a well-liked and well-connected politician who was widely seen as the favorite candidate of state party leaders. Jones’ term will run through December, when the party is set to hold its regular election for chair.

Yet the job is likely to be far from glamorous. With major local, state and federal elections just months away, Jones will be tasked with ramping up the party’s fundraising and voter-registration operations, and trying to unite a deeply fragmented Democratic organization.

“Regardless of whether you supported me or not, what matters now is building trust and understanding,” Jones said. “I acknowledge your frustrations, I acknowledge your struggles.”

Jones, Florida’s first openly gay state senator, threw his name into the running for Miami-Dade Democratic Party chairman last week, boasting the support of some of the county’s most prominent Democrats, including Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson.

Still, that didn’t spare him a challenge. Filmmaker Billy Corben followed Jones into the contest, billing his candidacy as an effort to stop a “coronation” of Jones as party chairman and force an “honest” conversation among Miami-Dade Democrats about the future direction of the party.

In the days that followed, the race for chairman became consumed by controversy and infighting. Corben sought to organize an in-person forum between Jones and himself, but that event was scrapped over disagreements about who would moderate it.

Jones, Corben, Jennings and Fernandez eventually agreed to participate in a virtual forum on Wednesday night. In his closing remarks during that event, which was closed to the public and the press, Corben withdrew from the race, arguing that the odds of him becoming chairman had been stacked against him from the beginning.

He noted that the Miami-Dade Democratic Party’s acting Chairwoman Laura Wagner had endorsed Jones at the outset of his campaign.

“I was prepared for the dysfunction, but I’m disappointed by the bad faith and hypocrisy,” Corben said during the forum.

There was also dispute over the timing of the Friday evening election, which coincided with the sabbath during Passover. Corben and other Jewish members urged party leaders to reschedule the election. Those requests went unheeded. Joe Geller, a former Miami-Dade Democratic Party chairman who’s currently running for Miami-Dade School Board, said that the Friday evening election was inconvenient for everyone in the party.

“It didn’t have to be in the middle of Passover on Shabbat,” said Geller, who is Jewish. “Why did it have to be a Friday night at all? People are tired, they’ve worked all week, they’re starting their weekend.”

Still, voting proceeded on Friday night with a packed conference hall. Geller, who led the Miami-Dade Democratic Party for more than a decade, said that Jones has a daunting task in front of him.

“Roll up your sleeves, get to work, make the calls, knock the doors, beg for money and get along with each other,” Geller said. “Fight for our principles, not with each other.”