Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won the special election in Florida’s 20th Congressional District on Tuesday to succeed the late Democrat Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died last year after a battle with cancer.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s victory, called by the Associated Press minutes after the polls closed, gives Democrats the first congressional election of 2022 and a slight increase to their current majority.
The district, as currently drawn, is a safe Democratic seat in southeast Florida and one of only two black-majority seats in the Sunshine State. However, the district’s boundaries are subject to change this year as state lawmakers finalize their redistricting process.
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The seat has been vacant since April 2021. Florida Democrats accused Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of deliberately delaying the election to deny House Democrats an additional vote for their slim majority in the chamber, but the governor argued congressional candidates needed sufficient time to run a campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick, a healthcare CEO, campaigned on liberal policies, including a universal basic income. She has not previously held elected office, although she has sought it in previous election cycles, and she largely funded her own campaign.
Her Republican rival, Jason Mariner, was previously convicted of felony theft and drug charges and served time in prison. He was open about his record, telling voters he had turned his life around.
The general election victory comes after Cherfilus-McCormick won her November primary by just five votes, defeating Broward County Supervisor Dale Holness, seen as the front-runner, in an upset victory.
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Cherfilus-McCormick will have to face another primary this year as part of the normal election cycle and another general election should she win. Holness has filed to run again in the primary.
