STATE SEN. SHERVIN JONES: Beat out three other candidates seeking to lead the state’s largest county Democratic organization. PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Miami – Florida state Sen. Shervin Jones is the new leader of the MiamiDade Democratic Party.

Democrats elected Jones the new chair of the embattled party on April 26, ahead of one of the most important elections in history, as they try to eschew disastrous results as in 2022.

He replaced ousted Miami-Dade Democratic Party chair Robert Dempster after Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried suspended him for failing to comply with the party’s rules and bylaws.

Jones from West Park beat out three other candidates seeking to lead the state’s largest county Democratic organization: Biscayne Gardens Chamber President Bernard Jennings, Miami-Dade College Democrats President Manuel Fernandez and Miami-Dade Progressive Caucus’ Angel Montalvo.

Now, Jones has the arduous task of bringing party members together, raising funds, and getting more people registered to vote before the primary in August and the presidential election in November.

Democrats’ top priority is keeping President Joseph Biden in office despite his anticipated rematch with former President Donald Trump. They also want to turn seats blue in the U.S. Senate, Congress and the state Legislature.

Despite Trump’s legal woes, the two share leads in several polls as the two spar over the war between Israel and Hama in Gaza, abortion and the economy.

The U.S. House of Representatives last week with broad bipartisan support passed a $95 billion legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, over bitter objections from Republican hardliners.

Democrats put their credence in Jones, who is also a member of the Democratic National Committee, and a Biden campaign surrogate for 2024, to lead the party to victory in a short period of time.

Jones, the first openly gay state senator, said he’s grateful to the DEC members for entrusting him and having confidence his efforts will pay off.

"I look forward to working with an incredible team to bring people together, boost engagement, close the voter registration gap, build our bench, and truly reinvigorate the party," Jones said.

"What we do over the coming months will shape our communities for years to come. This moment presents a great opportunity to reset, learn from past mistakes, lead with transparency, and lay the foundation for transformative wins.

"Together, we’ll leave no stone unturned to re-elect President Biden, Vice President Harris, and County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava and uplift our down-ballot candidates across the county."

Jones’ term ends in December when Democrats will hold another election to pick a leader.

It is not clear whether Jones will seek the position again.

But his election as chair might have already created a rift within the party, along with Fried’s suspension of Dempster and two other party leaders.

After Jones announced he was running for the party’s top spot, candidate and filmmaker Billy Corben challenged him to a debate, but the event was scrapped over the disagreements over the moderator.

In addition, according to the Miami Herald, Corben accused MiamiDade Democratic Party acting Chairwoman Laura Wagner of favoritism for endorsing Jones at the outset of his campaign.

Corben dropped his bid, saying the party acted in bad faith and hypocrisy.

Fried drew her share of criticism from fellow Democrats for suspending Dempster, Palm Beach Democratic Party Chair Mindy Koch and Franklin County Democratic Chair Carol Barfile, as the party seemed to be drifting apart.

Dempster and Barfield were subsequently ousted by the party’s central committee while Koch was reinstated.

In defending her decision, Fried said the local Democratic Party was falling behind and the leaders weren’t putting in enough effort for the upcoming elections.

Fried, who launched Take Back Florida, a campaign designed to register more than 1 million voters in Florida, said the lopsided 2022 governor’s race in which DeSantis beat former governor and U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist by more than a million votes was a sign the party was in trouble.

Fried, herself a gubernatorial candidate in 2022, laid out a blueprint for party leaders throughout Florida when Democrats filed to run in all 28 Congressional seats.

“We are not going to let Florida Republicans walk into office without being held accountable," Fried said in a statement. "Florida Democrats are fired up and ready to compete everywhere.”

Democrats see Jones as the person who can bring the party together.

Jones is a rising star in Florida politics, often a vocal critic of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for his legislation that targets the Black community and LGBTQ+ community.

Jones also sharpened his attacks on Republicans this year for loosening gun laws amid surging gun violence, punctuated by the 2023 mass shooting at a Dollar Tree in Jacksonville that killed three black people in what police said was a racially-motivated attack.

In November 2023, Jones said he was mulling a run for Florida governor in 2026.

He said he will make a decision after the presidential election.