Mayor of New York City Eric Adams gives a press conference in Harlem on crime and policing.
G.N.Miller/NYPost
As a former mayor of Miami Beach, sometimes called New York’s sixth borough, and a one-time Democratic candidate for Florida’s governorship, I believe my state’s Democrats have a unique opportunity to follow in the footsteps of new Mayor Eric Adams and provide a national example for Democratic success.
With President Joe Biden’s approval ratings at a record low, crime waves wreaking havoc in Democratic-controlled cities, inflation at a nearly four-decade high and myriad foreign-policy crises tarnishing America’s global reputation, my party’s chances of preventing an electoral wipeout in Florida and across the nation look slim at best.
A recent ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 62 percent of Americans say the Democratic Party is “out of touch.” They’re right. And Democrats cannot win in Florida or anywhere else by telling the majority of voters they’re wrong — thus proving their point.
Many Democrats are still in denial that their November electoral rout in purple Virginia is a harbinger for this year’s midterm elections. So can Democrats get it together in time to win the ultimate prize in the ultimate purple state and beat Gov. Ron DeSantis this November?
To overcome the Category 5 political headwinds and retake the governorship — or win any competitive race — Democratic candidates must be able to answer the following five questions with a strong and unequivocal “Yes.” “Yes but” and “Maybe” just won’t cut it this year.
1. Do you support well-funded professional police departments? Being against defunding police doesn’t mean you oppose common-sense reforms to police practices, the kind Adams has championed. Nor does it mean that you do not understand and sympathize with those who have historically been mistreated by the police. Candidates must have a commitment to strong law enforcement to ensure public safety.
2. Are you in favor of securing and defending the integrity of our borders with reasonable restrictions on immigration? This doesn’t mean you don’t support a legal pathway for undocumented people living here and contributing productively to our nation. But it does mean you reject blanket immunity for undocumented immigrants who cross into the United States illegally.
3. Do you agree that only US citizens should be allowed to vote in US elections including state and local? Every Democratic candidate should be asked about New York City’s recently passed law granting noncitizens the vote in local elections. Even though it will be struck down as patently unconstitutional, any Democrat who can’t voice opposition to it should be rejected out of hand.
4. Are you in favor of allowing parental participation in school curriculum and against critical race theory in classrooms? This doesn’t imply you oppose teaching the painful history of slavery and racial discrimination in our nation or that you don’t revere the civil-rights movement that fought against these forces. On the contrary, by rejecting CRT’s implication that America is an innately racist nation, you are embracing a more nuanced, accurate teaching of our history to our children.
5. Do you disavow socialism and accept that America’s economic success is based on its capitalist system? People from all over the world are coming to Florida to find their American dream. Many are leaving liberal bastions like New York where it has become fashionable for politicians to promote socialist ideas without understanding their ugly history and abysmal track record. The booming Florida economy owes an enormous debt of gratitude to politicians like former Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Florida will have to look for new ways to keep driving economic growth as Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul do not seem to share their predecessors’ fondness for socialist policies.
Candidates need to score five out of five to be viable in Florida and across America. Florida Democrats do have a good story to tell on the environment, affordable housing, a living wage and giving those who made life errors a second chance to vote. But meritorious ideas are ultimately meaningless if Democrats don’t get out of their own way and win.
Democrats may be able to win primaries by tacking far left, but they will certainly not prevail in general elections unless they prove their centrist bona fides by answering the above questions in the affirmative. Democratic parties in swing states should ask their nominees these five crucial questions before committing time, money and effort in competitive races.
To weed out unelectable candidates who would make inadequate elected officials, Democrats need to make these questions a litmus test.
Philip Levine is a former two-term Democratic mayor of Miami Beach and one-time candidate for Florida governor.
Twitter: @MayorLevine
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