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<\/p>\nFor Democrats in Florida, this is going to be extremely difficult. But it\u2019s not impossible.<\/p>\n
It happened before \u2014 44 years ago. That\u2019s how long it has been since the Democrats in Florida won races for Senate and governor in the same election.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mike Stocker\/Sun Sentinel<\/p>\n
Steve Bousquet began reporting from Broward County in 1981. The 1982 election was the first one he covered in Florida.<\/p>\n
As it happened in 1982, contests for Florida Senate and governor fell on the same ballot. That doesn\u2019t happen very often, because senators serve for six years and governors for four.<\/p>\n
The fact that both races are on this year\u2019s ballot is an oddity in itself.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only because Marco Rubio resigned his Senate seat to become Donald Trump\u2019s Secretary of State and Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Ashley Moody to replace him.<\/p>\n
By law, the vacancy is filled until the next statewide election. This Senate election is until 2028, when voters will re-elect a senator to a full six-year term.<\/p>\n
Back in 1982, Florida was a vastly different place.<\/p>\n
The biggest political difference was that Democrats were totally in charge. The major issues? They were not so different: crime, a refugee influx, overdevelopment, lack of water.<\/p>\n
Democratic Sen. Lawton Chiles got 62% of the vote in defeating Republican Van Poole, a state senator from Fort Lauderdale. Democratic Gov. Bob Graham won even bigger, by 64%, against Republican L.A. \u201cSkip\u201d Bafalis, a congressman from Fort Myers who spoke with a heavy Boston accent.<\/p>\n
It was so long ago that the most relevant photo I could quickly find was one of Graham campaigning in Broward, of course, with a crowd of retirees at Sunrise Musical Theater and a special guest: New York City Mayor Ed Koch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me,\u201d Koch used to say. \u201cIf you agree with me on 12 out of 12, see a psychiatrist.\u201d<\/p>\n
That wisecrack could apply perfectly to Angie Nixon, the Democrats\u2019 nominee for Senate.<\/p>\n
Whether you like her or not, she is a stellar grassroots organizer who proved it in dramatic fashion Tuesday by getting 56% of the vote<\/a> against Alex Vindman despite raising very little money.<\/p>\n In the first 24 hours after her victory, Nixon doubled her total take and raised $1 million with an average donation of $38, Bloomberg reported<\/a>. She\u2019s quickly building a national profile, and TV appearances are a key to her ability to raise money.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did it,\u201d Nixon said in a fundraising text Wednesday. \u201cWe won this primary without taking a dime of corporate PAC money.\u201d<\/p>\n Republicans will label Nixon a socialist from now until the polls close, and she will face a serious challenge with a critical constituency \u2014 Jewish voters in South Florida. She calledIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a \u201cwar criminal\u201d on \u201cMorning Joe,\u201d and favors ending unconditional aid to Israel.<\/p>\n But take a close look at her priorities (at angienixon.com)<\/a>: a higher minimum wage, Medicare for all, free child care, affordable housing, closing private for-profit prisons and detention centers, abolishing ICE, and raising taxes on the wealthy.<\/p>\n She is pro-worker and pro-consumer, and she\u2019s against construction of any new data centers until federal guardrails are in place.<\/p>\n To many voters, that\u2019s an easy nine out of 12, as Ed Koch would say.<\/p>\n