While Florida Democrats continue licking their wounds from yet another shellacking at the ballot box, one person is taking on a primary challenge to arguably the safest Democratic seat in the state.
“As of now, I’m definitely in,” Elijah Manley said.
The 26-year-old community activist says he’s likely to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for Florida District 20. The district is overwhelmingly blue, and she just began serving her second full term in Congress. But she has baggage.
This month, the House Ethics Committee said there is evidence of campaign finance violations. Also, the state of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management is suing a company owned by her family for refusing to refund an overpayment from the state.
Manley says the voters of District 20 deserve a congressperson who isn’t dealing with investigations and lawsuits.
“We don’t have time for someone distracted with potential indictments and legal troubles.”
Manley says the incumbent’s issues make this a perfect time to make a run. “It will be an expensive endeavor and a lot of hard work. I’m young enough to go for it.”
He has run for office before but has never won. He says he needs to talk to other progressive members of the party to gauge support. Manley is also open to running for another office, perhaps State Representative, should a stronger candidate challenge Cherfilus-McCormick.
FL-20 is not only deep blue (it was the only Florida congressional seat that went unchallenged in 2024), but it’s also notoriously loyal to incumbents. She was trounced by Alcee Hastings in successive primaries. After his death, she won a special-election primary by only five votes, but has gone on to landslides since.
District 20 also seems to have a strong indifference to scandal. In the 1980s, Hastings was investigated, impeached and removed from his seat as a Federal Judge. He was acquitted in a trial.
He was elected to Congress in 1992 and served until his death in 2021.
Manley believes this is the time for a fresh start. “This district doesn’t have any strong voices in Washington, D.C.”
