![\"Attendees](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tfl-l-miami-herald-chomp-01.jpg\")
Attendees cheer during one of the speeches at the Chomp The Oligarchy rally at Sidewalk Bottleshop in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (Matias J. Ocner\/Miami Herald)<\/p>\nThey stood in a long line to get in on a steamy Florida evening \u2014 followed by hours, mostly standing, in an outdoor courtyard. The attraction: democratic-socialist calls to action and the promise of a transformed government and economic system.<\/p>\n
By the end of the night Friday, a roster of speakers and hundreds of attendees put the Democratic Party establishment on notice: Their time is done and change is coming.<\/p>\n
Whether dramatic change is, in fact, coming, and whether it is coming as soon as advertised \u2014 Tuesday\u2019s primaries \u2014 is uncertain.<\/p>\n
A trio of progressive candidates and their supporters insisted Friday night that they are on the cusp of wresting power from establishment-oriented centrists, some of whom have been in power for decades. On Tuesday, they said, Florida will add to a string of democratic socialist primary wins in 2026.<\/p>\n
Maybe not. Current elected officials and Democratic Party leaders say that\u2019s more hype than reality, and that 300 people attending a rally in Fort Lauderdale does not portend sweeping change in a place where Democratic voters, so far at least, haven\u2019t shown an affinity for the farther-left views of voters in New York City and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Some of the Democrats who were castigated Friday night at the democratic socialist, progressive rally received an overwhelmingly positive response on Saturday at a get-out-the-vote rally at the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors.<\/p>\n
And Saturday\u2019s were voters. When Alfredo Olvera, president of the Dolphin Democrats LGBTQ+ political club asked how many people had already voted, almost all hands in the audience of about 100 shot up.<\/p>\n
Energy<\/p>\n
There was unmistakable energy and enthusiasm Friday night among people who turned out for the Chomp the Oligarchy rally, sponsored by the Florida Youth Justice Coalition, Gen-Z For Change, and the Broward and Miami-Dade county chapters of Democratic Socialists of America.<\/p>\n
Many attendees said they came because they\u2019re unhappy with the status quo, and wanted to support the current crop of progressive candidates because of what they see as uncertain outlooks for their lives going forward.<\/p>\n
Some said they were newly interested in politics. Some said they\u2019d voted before but never before attended a political event. Some said they have been politically active, but see the need for radical change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want change to happen. The future is looking bleak,\u201d said Karina Dahma, 37, of Coconut Creek. \u201cGovernment is being really cruel. It doesn\u2019t care about the people. It\u2019s all about the corporations. Cost of living is going up. People having to work two or three jobs just to survive. That\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dahma said she and her father would vote together on Sunday, the last day of early voting before primary day on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Adam Gold, of Boca Raton, said he has already voted early. He came out \u201cto support the DSA candidate who stands up for the working class and all of the policies that I thought Democrats were supposed to advocate for.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an evolution for Gold, 34. He has previously worked on campaigns of mainstream, establishment Democrats. But hearing Oliver Larkin speak began a transformation that led to Gold joining DSA and volunteering for Larkin\u2019s congressional campaign.<\/p>\n
Endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America, Larkin is challenging U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, in the 25th Congressional District Democratic primary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Democrats deserve to lose voters to the DSA candidates because the DSA candidates are the ones who represent the will of the voters,\u201d Gold said, and \u201ccan change the future for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rallies<\/p>\n
Chomp the Oligarchy was arranged to promote Larkin; Elijah Manley, one of the candidates competing with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the 20th District, and state Rep. Angie Nixon, who is running for the U.S. Senate nomination against Alex Vindman, the retired Army lieutenant colonel who provided critical evidence for the first impeachment of Trump during his first term.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we ready to show the rest of the country what Florida is made of?\u201d Larkin said. \u201cWe are a state of working-class people with working-class aspirations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we ready for Medicare for all? Are we ready for universal childcare? Are we ready for paid family and medical leave? Are we ready for a $25-an-hour minimum wage? Are we ready for free college? Are we ready for a Green New Deal?\u201d<\/p>\n
Each question drew cheers.<\/p>\n
The loudest support came when he asked, \u201cAre we ready to end U.S. military aid to Israel?<\/p>\n
\u201cA new generation of leadership is stepping forward. The Democratic Socialists of America are filling the leadership vacuum of the Democratic Party,\u201d Larkin said.<\/p>\n
Attendees cheer during one of the speeches at the Chomp The Oligarchy rally at Sidewalk Bottleshop in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (Matias J. Ocner\/Miami Herald)<\/p>\n
Nixon decried a system that she said doesn\u2019t provide enough money for healthcare as \u201cthe billionaires are getting richer and we\u2019re making the world\u2019s first trillionaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t want you in power,\u201d Nixon declared. \u201cThey don\u2019t want you to have nice things. They want you to work until you die. They want to continue to exploit you. They want to continue to get richer and richer. But it doesn\u2019t have to be this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Wasserman Schultz and Vindman offered similar themes, though softer language. On many domestic, economic issues, \u201cthere is widespread agreement,\u201d Wasserman Schultz said in an interview.<\/p>\n
Wasserman Schultz said her plan is to \u201cfocus the fight on lowering the cost of healthcare, gas, groceries, housing, make sure that there are good quality jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vindman said he had two central priorities: cutting costs for people who are struggling and crushing corruption. \u201cI\u2019ve served this nation for 21 years in war and in peace. I\u2019ve stood up for what\u2019s right, damn the personal consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
DSA is not what people in South Florida are looking for, Wasserman Schultz said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I think that Broward County Democrats are moving towards embracing the fringe left? No, firmly no. You can see that just by the candidates that run from that wing \u2026 in Broward County, they are not only not successful, they don\u2019t even come close,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tfl-l-rashida-tlaib-angie-nixon.jpg\")
U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib rally grassroots volunteers in Miramar on Friday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nChastising incumbents<\/p>\n
Cameron Driggers, executive director of the Florida Youth Justice Coalition, said at the Friday night rally that Wasserman Schultz \u201chas come to represent the absolute rot in the Democratic Party.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wasserman Schultz dismissed Friday night\u2019s rhetoric. \u201cName calling, we don\u2019t have time for name calling right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most mentions of Moskowitz and Wasserman Schultz drew boos, and mentions of Larkin, Manley and Nixon drew cheers.<\/p>\n
Eric Johnson, a democratic strategist advising the Moskowitz campaign, via text on Saturday, said the crowd reaction isn\u2019t particularly significant. \u201cIt is not breaking news that a candidate gets support at his own rally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps more telling: More than once the crowd broke into chants of \u201cDSA! DSA! DSA!\u201d And references to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the big pro-Israel lobbying organization that has become a focus of growing progressive opposition, drew resounding boos.<\/p>\n
Cory Archibald, a co-founder of Track AIPAC, one of the featured speakers, predicted that the shifting political environment means \u201cThe AIPAC-era is over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Archibald\u2019s organization has endorsed Larkin, Manley and Nixon. The people they are running against, Moskowitz, Wasserman Schultz and Vindman are all Jewish and all support the U.S. alliance with Israel.<\/p>\n
![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TFL-L-Alex-Vindman-01.jpeg\")
Alex Vindman, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, speaks to a get-out-the-vote rally sponsored by the Dolphin Democrats LGBTQ+ political club at the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Anthony Man\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nShifting venues<\/p>\n
The Friday night rally was fraught, and almost didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
After organizers announced Monday on social media that U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib was added to the lineup, a confluence of critics, including state Rep. Michael Gottlieb, a Davie Democrat, and Laura Loomer, a far-right social influencer, sought to stop it.<\/p>\n
Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman elected to Congress, is a founding member of the Squad, a prominent group of progressive members of Congress. Many Jewish community and political leaders have criticized her scorching criticism of Israel and comments that many see as antisemitic.<\/p>\n
Under pressure, the first location for the rally, The Venue in Wilton Manors, canceled. Then the second location, the Downtown Event Center in Fort Lauderdale, pulled out.<\/p>\n
At 12:35 a.m. Friday, organizers reached out to David Lopez, an owner of Sidewalk Bottleshop in Fort Lauderdale, who arranged for his wine bar and the adjacent courtyard to be transformed into an event venue, with heavy security because of Tlaib\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n
As soon as word went out, Lopez said his phone blew up. Within hours, he said he received 600 messages from people emphatically opposed to his hosting the gathering.<\/p>\n
![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TFL-L-Vindman-Wasserman-Schultz.jpg\")
Alex Vindman, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, speaks to U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz after they both spoke at a get-out-the-vote rally sponsored by the Dolphin Democrats LGBTQ+ political club at the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Anthony Man\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the attempts to stop the event turned into a rallying cry for organizers and motivation for some attendees. \u201cI\u2019m here to fight for democracy and our American rights, especially the First Amendment rights, which have been trampled with (attempts to stop) this event,\u201d said Robin Merrill, 65, a Fort Lauderdale artist.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter how much they try to close the door and try to cancel us, we ain\u2019t going nowhere,\u201d Tlaib said. \u201cIf anything, you\u2019re pissing us off more. You\u2019re just growing our movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, Tlaib ended up playing a relatively minor role, briefly dancing with Nixon in front of the crowd and delivering one of the shortest speeches of the evening as she touted Nixon\u2019s candidacy. Earlier Friday, Tlaib campaigned with Nixon in Miramar.<\/p>\n
Tlaib said neither she, nor the progressive movement, would be deterred. \u201cNothing will stop us from saying stop the genocide,\u201d she said, referring to what many human-rights organizations and critics of the Isreali government believe is genocide in the war with Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Manley, who posted on social media in 2020 that he was converting to Judaism, rejected the notion that the movement or its candidates are antisemitic. \u201cI don\u2019t see no antisemitism in this room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Political writer Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They stood in a long line to get in on a steamy Florida evening \u2014 followed by hours,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[506,28,249,251,250,114,373,115,557,99,109,49572],"class_list":["post-372562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-broward-county","tag-florida","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-miami-dade-county","tag-news","tag-palm-beach-county","tag-politics","tag-social","tag-wilton-manors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}