Jamaica-born candidate in tight race for Florida congressional seat

Lester Hinds, Gleaner Writer 

Dale Holness, who is seeking to become the first Jamaica-born member of the United States House of Representatives, is currently locked in a tight race in the Democratic party's primary elections in the 20th congressional district in Florida.

Holness currently trails Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick by 31 votes for the seat.

Yesterday's voter turn-out was very low with just under 16 percent of eligible voters casting ballots.

Both Cherfilus-McCormick, who is Haitian, and Holness outpaced the pack of nine other candidates to emerge as the top vote-getters.

Holness is currently Broward County Commissioner.

With the margin so close, an automatic machine recount will take place if the margin of victory by either candidate is half a percentage point.

McCormick far outpaced Holness in Palm Beach County, but Holness turned the tables in Broward County by winning a majority of the votes cast.

Because the margin of victory is so close and with some mail-in ballots still to be counted, the election has not been called for either candidate.

Holness told The Gleaner that he is not conceding the race as there are still outstanding mail-in ballots to be counted.

He further acknowledged that there will be an automatic recount because of the razor-thin margin separating the two leading candidates.

Some 11 candidates were on the ballot to contest the primary.

The winner will fill the seat left vacant by the late congressman Alcee Hastings who died from cancer in April.

He held the seat from 1993 until his death.

The eventual winner of yesterday's Democratic party primary is almost sure to win the special election set for January 11, 2022, although he or she will have to face off against a Republican Party opponent.

The 20th congressional district is considered the second safest Democratic seat in Florida.

The congressional district has a population of just over 700,000 people.

Blacks make up just over 52 percent of the population with whites making up about 40 percent.

The district has the largest population of Jamaicans in South Florida taking in Broward County and Palm Beach County.

Males make up 48 percent of the population while females comprise just over 52 percent of the population.

The vice-chair of the Florida Democratic Party, Jamaican-born Reverend Dr Karen R. Green has offered congratulations to the candidates who competed in yesterday's democratic party primary in the 20th congressional district.

“I am confident that when all the votes are counted, whoever comes out the victor he/she will represent the best of the Caribbean in congress. I am hopeful that the winner will be able to articulate the positions of the Caribbean communities in Florida as well as the region on matters that are very important to our communities and region, whether it is immigration, economic development, energy security, criminal justice reform or alleviation of poverty,” she said.

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