| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | |  A man shouts slogans during the election campaign closing event of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez on July 25, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela. | Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Florida Democrats are aggressively challenging Venezuela’s tainted election, as they try to regain support from Hispanic voters after getting labeled by Republicans as "socialists" and "communists" over several election cycles. While Republicans warn that the U.S. could become like Venezuela if voters were to elect a “California socialist” as president, Democrats are increasingly likening former President Donald Trump to autocratic Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The two men shared “disturbing parallels,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). “Both men,” she said, “have tried to overturn the will of their people and resorted to political violence to obtain their unsavory goal.” Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell said it was important to denounce both the “rise of right-wing authoritarianism” and “socialist left-wing dictatorships” because “it is coming right here to the United States if we don’t stop it.” It’s not clear whether the messaging will work. Over 210,000 people of Venezuelan descent live in Florida and share similar diaspora experiences of Cuban Americans, many of whom carry generational trauma from living and fleeing left-wing authoritarianism. In recent cycles, both communities have shifted to become more Republican. Democrats already face a challenging balancing act when their own forceful rhetoric clashes with the Biden administration’s more cautious posture. Democratic officials previously pressed the White House to re-impose oil sanctions on Venezuela sooner, after the administration lifted them in 2023 in exchange for holding freer elections, which Maduro reneged on. Many were also outraged when the Biden administration let Cuban officials tour Miami International Airport, though it apparently wasn’t unusual. The president also lifted some of Trump’s sanctions on Cuba, though he didn’t go as far as former President Barack Obama. After Venezuela’s election, Florida Democrats quickly recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the rightful winner, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava urged the State Department to implement the strongest sanctions possible. Maduro hasn’t produced the voting results the U.S. demanded and Venezuela’s attorney general — an ally of Maduro — is investigating opposition leaders María Corina Machado and González for alleged "incitement to insurrection.” Florida Democrats acknowledge that diplomacy takes time and credit the Biden administration for the Venezuelan election happening at all, and warn that mishandling the situation could lead to more mass migration and put the lives of protesters in Venezuela in danger. The Biden administration is withholding recognizing González as president-elect for now — despite acknowledging he won — and the Miami Herald suggested it may be because of ongoing diplomatic efforts with other countries. Republicans see it differently. They’re calling out Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for what they see as caving to dictatorships and winding up in the exact situation they warned about. GOP Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart accused the Biden White House of “constantly minimizing the damage that dictatorships in this hemisphere do” and of “looking at ways of helping them and appeasing them and throwing them lifesavers.” Trump on Monday said in an interview with a livestreamer that Venezuela was being run by a dictator. But he waited days before initially weighing in on the election, when he blamed Harris for the oil sanctions deal. As president, Trump didn’t fully give in to many pressures from fellow Republicans, including their urging to take stronger actions to support the opposition movement. Still, he was overall seen by many in the exile community as taking a tough stance that energized Hispanic voters in Florida. Evelyn Pérez-Verdía — the founder of We Are Más, and an expert on working with Hispanic communities — said the White House had done its job on Venezuela policy. But she urged Harris as a presidential candidate to denounce the dictatorship the way she’s seen Republicans, such as Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Miami, do and “reject authoritarians from the left or right.” “They think she is ‘wishy-washy’ about the issue because they believe she is genuinely more left-wing than Bernie Sanders,” Pérez-Verdía said of how Hispanic voters in Florida view Harris, due to content shared in private WhatsApp channels painting her that way. “She needs to rip that perception off like a Band-Aid.” — Mia McCarthy contributed reporting. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget in the campaign reporting that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
| | | | Breaking News Briefing: Where Tim Walz Stands on the Issues — The Democratic ticket is set now that Vice President Kamala Harris has named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Join POLITICO Pro on Friday Aug. 9 for a detailed discussion with specialist reporters on what Walz's track record says about the policies he and Harris will embrace in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential campaign. Register for the Briefing | | | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | |  Elon Musk arrives at the 10th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony on April 13, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. | Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File | ‘MUSK’S GALACTIC PLANS’ — “Florida’s Space Coast braces for impact — from Elon Musk,” reports The Wall Street Journal’s Susan Pulliam and Micah Maidenberg. “Florida’s Space Coast, as this stretch of palm trees, subdivisions and rocket pads is called, has never seen anything quite as otherworldly as Elon Musk. Musk’s space company wants to launch Starship, the Earth’s largest and most powerful rocket, dozens of times annually from the Cape in the years ahead. The rocket from SpaceX towers nearly 400 feet at liftoff—more than the Statue of Liberty—and is at the center of NASA’s plan to return to the moon and Musk’s ambition to colonize Mars.” FACULTY FIGHTING — Three faculty unions sued Florida’s top higher education officials and university trustees in federal court Wednesday, attempting to overturn part of a controversial 2023 law pushed by DeSantis to fight against “woke” ideology on campuses. The lawsuit, filed in Gainesville, targets the portion of the law that university faculty claim creates an “arbitration ban” by giving school presidents more power in tenure and termination decisions. As such, these decisions, under the law, “may not be appealed beyond the level of a university president or designee” and the moves “are not subject to arbitration.” The unions argue that the “arbitration ban is a politicized attempt to stifle Florida faculty members’ academic freedom and violates the Federal Arbitration Act, a well-established law enacted in 1925 that safeguards the right to arbitration nationwide.” This legal action represents one of several attempts to fight FL SB 266, a wide-ranging education law that notably banned colleges and universities from spending on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. A similar lawsuit was dismissed in 2023 a month after being filed, while another lawsuit challenging SB 266 for allegedly violating collective bargaining polices was dismissed earlier this year. There is a separate case pending in state court. — Andrew Atterbury ‘RIGHT PATH’ — “Utilities, environmental groups reach deals on energy conservation,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. “Tampa Electric Co. and the Orlando Utilities Commission on Tuesday told the Public Service Commission they have reached agreements with groups to expand their energy assistance for low-income customers. TECO, with more than 840,000 customers, agreed to expand its neighborhood weatherization program from 7,500 to 8,000 customers over the next 10 years. Such programs can provide energy-saving measures including weather stripping for doors and insulation for water heaters.” PUNISHED — “Ron DeSantis' top aide punished bank lobbyists for being disloyal,” reports Jason Garcia of Seeking Rents. “[Seeking Rents obtained] an email in which DeSantis’ chief of staff and former presidential campaign manager accuses a bunch of bank lobbyists of being un-American and insufficiently loyal in a supposed war against ‘Marxist’ forces — all while trying to do a favor for a client of one of DeSantis’ most important political fundraisers.” — “When does Florida’s ‘Tax Free’ holiday end? How much longer you have to buy school supplies,” by USA Today Network — Florida’s Samantha Neely and Cheryl McCloud. — “Florida lags most of U.S. in residents with health insurance,” by Axios’ Yacob Reyes, Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | HENDRY COUNTY — “A new airport could spark the economy in a rural part of Florida. Will the workforce be ready?” by Nick Fouriezos of Open Campus. “One of Florida’s poorest counties is preparing for the new ‘Airglades’ airport, a $300 million cargo hub that could transform its economy. Local leaders see the project as a generational opportunity, one that could bring more than 1,400 new, high-skilled jobs to their largely agricultural community at the edge of the Everglades. But to make good on its promise, the region’s educators will have to overcome some harsh realities.” NO PLACE TO GO — “Fort Lauderdale beach still a hot spot for homeless: ‘If they get rid of us, where are we supposed to go,’” reports South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Susannah Bryan and Joe Cavaretta. “Under the new state law, homeless people caught sleeping overnight in public spaces might very well wind up in jail — unless the cities can find a place to set up homeless encampments by the time the law kicks in on Oct. 1. Fort Lauderdale leaders say they need help from the county and other agencies to solve a problem now vexing urban areas nationwide. The law is on their side. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that local governments do have the right to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outdoors.”
| | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | RELIEF — “Florida farmers will be able to apply for financial relief due to Debby,” reports Florida Politics’ Drew Dixon. “Farmers, ranchers and growers in the Sunshine State can begin applying for low-interest or no-interest loans beginning next week to help pay for damage sustained by Debby as the system plowed through the Florida peninsula… That financial relief could include fences, equipment, greenhouses and other buildings, along with removal of vegetative debris.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | |  Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., speaks during the Republican National Convention Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. | Paul Sancya/AP Photo | NEW TV ADS — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who’s up for reelection in November and is planning to run for Senate GOP leader, just announced a six-figure statewide TV ad that criticizes President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The video uses a clip of Harris calling Biden after he won the election in 2020, saying, “We did it, Joe!” and then transposes images of high inflation, protests against the war in Gaza and fentanyl deaths. NEW RADIO ADS — Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who's competing in the Democratic primary to go up against Scott, released a six-figure ad buy on Spanish radio attacking Scott over his various policy positions, including on abortion. “Less money and fewer rights mean less freedom … He won’t stop unless we stop him,” she says in the ad. MAYORAL RACE — “His YouTube audience made him a key Trump surrogate. Can it make him Miami-Dade mayor?” by the Miami Herald’s Verónica Egui Brito and Max Greenwood. “[Alexander Otaola] has never held elected office, has no experience running a government, and prefers to conduct interviews in Spanish, sometimes using an interpreter. His promise to root out communism from South Florida has little to do with the day-to-day duties of the job he’s seeking to run Miami-Dade County’s nearly $13 billion government. But he has proven that he can move masses, and he has an asset no other candidate can come close to matching: a megaphone in the form of a YouTube channel with 375,000 subscribers.” GROWING ATTACKS — “Lawyer John Morgan wants to debate Florida [state] Senate hopeful Tom Leek, who's not taking bait,” reports Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Mark Harper. “‘We will debate [homeowners' insurance] issue and what went on, and I will give $100,000 to the charity of your choice, as long as it's not your favorite charity, you — it can be something else,’ Morgan said, addressing Leek directly and pointing to the camera. ‘If you have the balls to do it.’”
| | DATELINE D.C. | | ‘SLANDER AND DEFAMATION’ — “With Congressman Cory Mills facing accusations of stolen valor, Army confirms medals,” reports Mark Harper of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “Mills — who won a wide-open 2022 Republican primary — has provided The News-Journal with several documents he says prove he served in Iraq in 2003 and earned a Bronze Star with heroism. Also, a seriously wounded soldier's mother says Mills was her son's team leader and was in Iraq, as Mills contends.”
| | TRANSITION TIME | | — Sam Ogozalek is joining POLITICO on the transportation team, where he will anchor Morning Transportation once he gets settled. He comes to POLITICO from the Tampa Bay Times where he was a public health reporter. Before that, he reported on the Covid-19 pandemic for The Island Packet of Bluffton, South Carolina. He’s an alum of Syracuse University where he was the editor-in-chief of The Daily Orange. Give him a welcome at sogozalek@politico.com.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | ‘CULT-LIKE FOLLOWING’ — “Participants from all over the country and Canada come for Florida Python Challenge this week,” reports Kimberly Miller of the Palm Beach Post. “Florida’s Python Challenge began as a loosely planned scramble in the Everglades, an experiment in incentive-based extermination, a novelty that in subsequent years would help spawn reality TV shows, attract a rock star and entice celebrity chefs. On Friday, more than a decade after the first Python Challenge was held, the event will launch another 10-day swamp safari that is more streamlined than in the early years and carries a bountiful $10,000 grand prize.” BIRTHDAYS: Former state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez … Slater Bayliss with The Advocacy Partners. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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