Election Day is held every year in the U.S., with local positions, special elections, and ballot initiatives taking place at different times each year. The General Election, though, is essentially every other year, on even numbered years. This is when various ranking local, state, and federal seats are decided. In Florida, the primary election is held 10 weeks prior to the General Election to determine which candidates will represent their respective parties (ie. Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc.). This year’s General Election is set for November 8 and Florida’s primary was held August 23rd.
Florida enjoys the largest number of people of Haitian heritage. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, there were 1,084,055 Haitian Americans living in the U.S, with Florida coming out as a top 10 U.S. states with the largest Haitian population, with 533,409 (2.4% of the Sunshine State population).
As Florida enjoys such a rich Haitian heritage, we are witnessing a growing number of highly skilled, experienced, and dedicated professionals turning their sights on political office as a means of helping their fellow citizen. Haitian-Americans long to be part of the American political process and this year more than a dozen Haitian-Americans threw their names into consideration for various elected positions.
Blemur wins Democratic nominee ticket for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
In the Democratic primary to replace Nikki Fried as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Haitian-American Dr. Naomi Esther Blemur made political history. The 43-year old minister who has been leading the blue party race since she entered, saw more than a dozen endorsements from heavy political names in the party revoked after an opponent lobbyist and former congressional candidate J.R. Gaillot (another Haitian-American) circulated old social media posts considered anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ, according to a report by The Advocate.
Despite being targeted by these attacks and losing those endorsements, Dr. Blemur kept her focus on the campaign. She calmly won the primary nomination, which also included cannabis activist Ryan Morales. Blemur’s campaign raised $50,858 but was $5,114 in debt, according to her most recent filing. Gaillot managed to raise $14,284 and had $1,588 remaining after expenses. Morales raised $20,981 and was $1,122 in debt.
Cherfilus-McCormick is on her way to her first full term in US Congress
Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won a rematch with her special election opponent from last year. She won that first battle last November by only five votes. This past August, as an incumbent, she scored big by defeating the former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness for a second time. This time, though, she garnered 65% of the total votes against Holness’ 29% and the 3rd candidate, State Rep. Anika Omphroy coming in with 6 percent. Cherfilus-McCormick will face Republican Drew Montez-Clark, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the November general election. Montez-Clark previously ran unsuccessfully in a 2020 primary for a Florida House of Representatives seat. Her victory in the August 23rd primary election is likely paving the way for her to maintain her seat in Congress and earn her first full term. The November race is viewed as a formality for the incumbent since the district is a Democratic stronghold that includes a large swath of Broward County. Cherfilus-McCormick won the seat in a January special election to succeed U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings after his death in April, 2021. She became the first Haitian-American to be elected to Congress from Florida and the second nationwide, after Mia Love, who was elected in 2015 from Utah’s 4th Congressional District. She was the first black person elected to Congress from Utah and the first black woman elected to Congress as a Republican.
Republican Rod Dorilás missed his shot for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District
The Florida 22nd Congressional District is heavily Democrat. The incumbent, Congresswoman Lois Frankel, has been the representative of this Palm Beach district since 2013, but not without challenges from the Republican party every two years. This year, while she ran unopposed in the Democrat primary, five Republican candidates competed in the primary elections, hoping to face her in the November 8 general election. Among the Republican challengers was Rod Dorilás, a Haitian-American. Dorilás is a first-generation son of two immigrants from Haiti. At 17, Rod enlisted in the United States Navy, serving for six years as a Petty Officer Second Class and Assistant Engagement Control Officer onboard the USS The Sullivans, stationed in Jacksonville. Upon completion of his military service, Rod attended law school at Syracuse University with the help of the G.I. Bill. After graduating, he served in President Trump’s Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Dorilas came out in third position, garnering 19.1% (6,560) of the total 34,407 votes. Dan Franzese came out on top with 34.7% (11,928). He will face-off against Democratic incumbent Lois Frankel in November.
Pitchie Escarment lost her FL Senate District 34 bid
Haitian-American Pitchie “Peachy” Escarment, a 44-year-old former correctional officer who currently heads her own consulting firm, didn’t make it in her first attempt to become an elected official at the Florida state level. It was clear that Escarment did not have any chance to succeed in her first attempt at seeking elected office. The incumbent Miami Gardens Democrat Sen. Shevrin Jones – the first openly gay member serving in Florida Congress –raised $622,000 through the end of July. He had just $30,000 left in two weeks from the primary after heavy rounds of spending on campaign mailers, digital advertising, travel and consulting. Since filing to run for office in February, Pitchie Escarment collected nearly $24,000, more than 83% of which came through self-loans or donations from family. As of July 29, she had about $4,000 remaining after covering advertising and signage costs and refunding herself for more than half the money she added to her campaign coffers. Escarment was even way behind the other contender, former Miami Gardens Councilman Erhabor Ighodaro, who raised almost $84,000 between his campaign account and political committee.
Marie Woodson wins House District 105 primary moving forward to the General Election
Florida Rep. Marie Paule Woodson, 62, who represents Florida House District 101, who saw her district reconfigured to 105, easily defeated last-minute challenger Imran Uddin Siddiqui, a 44-year-old doctor who lives in Miramar, in the Democrat-dominated district that encompasses parts of Miramar, Pembroke Pines, West Park and Hollywood. Woodson won 83% of the vote to Uddin Siddiqui’s 16%. She will face Republican Vincent Parlatore in November’s general election. Like US Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick, Woodson will likely be returning to Tallahassee for a second term. Florida House District 105 in Broward County is also a Democrat stronghold. Elected in 2020 to represent District 101, Woodson says she was able to pass legislation and secure funding for her district. Before becoming a representative, Woodson worked in multiple facets of county government, including time as a social worker and an administrator for Miami-Dade County.
Incumbent Dotie Joseph secures her House District 108 seat
Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Dotie Joseph defeated rival Roy Hardemon (her successor) for the third time to retain her seat in Tallahassee. Her third victory is a dream-killer for Hardemon’s ambition to retake House District 108, which he won in 2016. Hadermon spent only a 2-year term in Tallahassee. In 2018, Joseph snatched the Miami-Dade County seat from him. Joseph faced another Democrat opponent in the race: Michael Etienne, 39, a former North Miami city clerk. Results showed that the newcomer in that race also performed better than Hadermon. In this winner-take-all race, 42-year-old attorney Dotie Joseph earned 53% of the vote, followed by Etienne who captured 26%. Her predecessor Roy Hardemon came last, earning only 20%. Incumbent Dotie Joseph has no general election challenge and will return to Tallahassee to represent new Florida House 108, which is one of Miami-Dade County’s most diverse districts and includes the northeastern portion of the City of Miami and the western portion of North Miami; the entire Villages of Biscayne Park, El Portal, and Miami Shores; the unincorporated Dade county areas of Golden Glades, Pinewood, Little River, and Wynwood.
Francius did not make it for the House District 107 seat
Wancito Francius is a 46-year-old Haitian-American small business owner who lives in North Miami. The Democratic candidate previously ran for North Miami City Council and lost in 2017, 2018 and 2021. He again lost his fourth political race against District 107 incumbent Christopher Benjamin. The incumbent gained 81.1% of the votes while Francius gathered 18.9%. Benjamin, a 49-year-old attorney from Miami Gardens, served in the Army from 1991 to 1994. He was first elected in November 2020 for this Miami-Dade district, which includes parts of North Miami, North Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and Ives Estate. Benjamin will face Pierre M. Prime, a non-party-affiliated candidate in the November general election. Francius moved to the U.S. in 2005 from Haiti, where he was a licensed sociologist. He said, if he was elected, he would work to advocate for small businesses.
Judge Lody Jean retains her Florida Circuit seat
Miami-Dade voters decided last week to keep incumbent Haitian Judge Lody Jean. As the first Haitian-American Miami-Dade County Circuit judge, Jean handily bested challenger Teressa Maria (Tylman) Cervera, a white civil lawyer who was criticized for changing her last name to a Spanish surname shortly before running. In heavily Hispanic Miami, having a Spanish last name is widely seen as an advantage in judicial races in which voters know little about the candidates. In the race for Circuit Judge 11th Judicial Group 3, Jean defeated Teressa Maria (Tylman) Cervera. Out of the total 266,211 votes, Jean collected 151,227 votes (56.81%) compared to Teressa Maria’s 114,984 votes (43.19). Born and raised in Haiti, Jean attended college at the University of Miami where she double majored in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Foreign Languages and obtained her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University.
Seraphin holds to his Miami-Dade County seat
In the most bitterly contested race, longtime County Judge Fred Seraphin, who was hit with ugly attack ads, easily defeated attorney Renier Diaz de la Portilla, who hails from a prominent Miami political family. Seraphin, appointed in 2001 by then Florida Governor Jeb Bush, is Miami-Dade’s first Haitian-American judge. Diaz de la Portilla, a former Miami-Dade school board member, has now lost four straight campaigns. Seraphin won 56.50% of the total 266,228 votes. Renier Diaz de la Portilla collected 115,810 votes (43.50%). Miami’s Haitian elected leaders rallied during the campaign, saying Lody Jean and Fred Seraphin were being targeted because of their ethnic background.
Guithele Nicolas did not make it for the Broward County Commission 9 seat
As a newcomer, it was clear that Haitian-American Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas, a case manager at Broward College, embarked on a difficult race against sitting Lauderdale Lakes Mayor and veteran state lawmaker Hazelle P. Rogers. Rogers decisively outraised and outspent the newcomer to politics — raising about $100,000 more than Ruiz-Nicholas and spending $114,689 to her competitor’s $27,506. With all 33 precincts reporting Tuesday night, Rogers secured 71% of the vote compared to 29% for Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas. Broward County District 9 covers all of Lauderdale Lakes and parts of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Oakland Park, Plantation, Sunrise and unincorporated areas.
Sicard And Dubosse failed to win the Broward County Commission 8 seat
Haitian-Americans Aude Sicard (a community organizer) and Bobby DuBose (a former Florida Representative first elected in 2014), were both competing to represent District 8 in Broward County Board of County Commissioners. Neither of them made it past the Democratic primary elections held August 23rd. They were defeated by Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Robert McKinzie in the three way race. McKinzie, who is a former friend of Dubosse, outraised the two Haitian-American candidates as the three battled for the open seat on the Broward County Commission.
Robert McKinzie came to the race with a good amount of money: $151,500, which is almost double, that of Dubosse ($84,000) and four times the amount ($36,000) raised by Aude Sicard for her campaign. Sicard was a distant third in the money race for the seat. The seat represents parts of Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Margate, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Wilton Manors and parts of unincorporated Broward County.
Bastien and Bien-Aime will face-off in a runoff for the Miami-Dade County Commission District 2 seat
In the primary race to find a successor to Miami-Dade County District 2’s current Commissioner Jean Monestime, who is not eligible for another term after 12 years, North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime and nonprofit executive Marleine Bastien are the two candidates who came out on top among the six candidates. They will compete in a Nov. 8 runoff election to determine which of them will represent District 2 on the Miami-Dade County Commission after neither received enough votes to win the office outright.
Bien-Aime gathered 26.5% of the total 19,681 votes cast while Bastien took 23.7%. Miami-Dade law requires a County Commission candidate must receive more than half the votes cast during the technically nonpartisan primary contest to win the office outright.
The remaining four candidates included retired paramedic William “D.C.” Clark, high school principal Wallace Aristide, former North Miami Mayor Joe Celestin, and business consultant Monique Barley-Mayo and they collected, respectively, 20.8%, 18.4%, 6.5% and 4%.
Commissioner Jean Monestime, elected in 2010, must leave office in November. If he did not endorse anyone as his preferred successor, however he was seen the night of the primary election at Bastien’s campaign headquarters on Northwest 7th Avenue.
District 2 includes portions of Miami, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Opa-locka, Hialeah and the unincorporated neighborhoods of Liberty City, North Dade Central, and Biscayne Gardens.
Elections help to shape the political and legal future for generations. This year we witnessed a growth of more Haitian-American candidates and though their success was tempered, it inspires others to step up, take notice, and help carry the torch of liberty for those who have come before them.
These primary elections are a powerful reminder that our voice matters, even during the primaries. When looking at the total number of registered voters who actually cast votes in August 23rd’s primary election, it was a small fraction. That’s a growing tragedy, that so many, especially from poverty stricken nations and places where a voice is never truly heard would be so quick to turn aside their right to vote and remain home or believe it simply doesn’t matter.
Americans, including Haitian-Americans, have a privilege to decide the men and women who will represent them and be their voices in government. Hopefully more Haitian-Americans will step up and seek to be that voice and others will come out and support them in future primary and general elections. It’s our duty, as citizens and immigrants of this great nation, to bear the torch and help determine its future. That’s what a Constitutional Republic is all about, and that’s what freedom looks like.
Dessalines Ferdinand
LE FLORIDIEN
