Wasserman Schultz Wins in Historically Black District

Debbie Wasserman Schultz has won new political life in a district that wasn't supposed to be hers. The 11-term congresswoman on Tuesday won the Democratic primary in Florida's newly drawn 20th Congressional District, according to AP projections. The area is a safely blue, historically Black seat that had long elected Black representatives, the New York Times reports. Her move to run there—after Republicans erased her old district in a redistricting map widely seen as reducing Black representation—drew sharp criticism from several Black rivals, who urged her to run elsewhere.

Instead, Wasserman Schultz leaned on name recognition, seniority, and a heavy fundraising edge while saturating community events in the Broward County-based district. A group of four Black Democrats tried but failed to unite behind a single challenger, then all stayed in the race and lost: teacher and activist Elijah Manley, former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, former Broward County Mayor Dale V.C. Holness, and Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell of 2 Live Crew fame. Cherfilus-McCormick had resigned from Congress in April and faces federal embezzlement charges, which she denies. Wasserman Schultz is now strongly favored to win the general election in November.