Nikki Fried appears to have narrowly won the election to become the next commissioner of agriculture in Florida, making her the the only statewide elected Democrat in office when she takes over the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in January.
The Broward County public defender and marijuana activist is poised to become the first woman to hold the position after a recount put her atop Republican Matt Caldwell by 6,753 votes out of roughly 8 million cast.
The results still have to be certified on Tuesday, but Fried tweeted Sunday afternoon about her excitement to become agriculture commissioner.
[Also read: Brenda Snipes out as Broward County elections chief]
To everyone who put their lives on hold and worked to see the recount process through, to protect the integrity of our democracy—thank you.
I’m honored to serve as your next Commissioner of Agriculture. Now, we come together and work in union to govern for the people of Florida.
— Nikki Fried (@nikkifried) November 18, 2018
She is the first Democrat in the position in 17 years, and will now answer to Republican Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and a state House and Senate both controlled by the GOP.
Fried told the Miami Herald that her campaign’s success was because of her emphasis on the three “w’s”: “Weapons, weed, and water.”
She heavily campaigned on gun control and expanded access to medical marijuana, as well as her understanding of the farming community.
In Florida, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is charged with issuing concealed carry permits.
Incumbent Commissioner Adam Putnam, who was ousted because of term limits, was criticized heavily after a report earlier this year revealed his office failed to complete background checks before issuing tens of thousands of permits.
Fried also campaigned on a desire to have the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services take over managing the state’s medical marijuana industry, which is currently under the purview of the Department of Health Office of Medical Marijuana Use.
In November of 2016, 71 percent of Florida voters approved the Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, which legalized some patient access to medical marijuana.
Fried’s transition team, which she prematurely announced Nov. 10 before the recount, will be led by former Rep. Patrick Murphy, Rep. Darren Soto, and Fred Guttenberg, a gun-control activist whose daughter, Jaime, was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February in Parkland.
