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Florida Democrats Elect Former Miami Mayor As New State Leader

Florida Democrats elect former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz as new state leader. (via Manny_A_Diaz Twitter)
Florida Democrats elect former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz as new state leader. (via Manny_A_Diaz Twitter)

Florida Democratic Party leaders have elected former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz as the state’s new party chair. 

They are hoping the Cuban American can turn the party’s fortunes around after losing two straight presidential races, six straight gubernatorial defeats and losses of both U.S. Senate seats. 

Diaz got 54% of the vote of party leaders Saturday. 

He replaces Terrie Rizzo, who had been chair for three years and chose not to run for re-election. 

Diaz is taking over a state party that lost ground in November’s election, causing some national political commentators to suggest Florida may no longer be a swing state but instead solidly Republican.

After a brief stint as Morning Edition Producer at The Public’s Radio in in Rhode Island, Talia Blake returned to WMFE, the station that grew her love for public radio. She graduated with a double-major in Broadcast Journalism and Psychology from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!). While at UCF, she was an intern for WMFE’s public affairs show, Intersection. In her spare time, Talia is an avid foodie and enjoys working out.