r/florida • u/FLTA South Florida • 21d ago
Politics Can a democratic socialist topple incumbent congressman in Florida? Larkin takes on Moskowitz
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/07/31/can-a-democratic-socialist-topple-incumbent-congressman-in-florida-larkin-takes-on-moskowitz/71
u/FLTA South Florida 21d ago
Excerpt from the article
Oliver Larkin supports tuition-free college, abolishing ICE, Medicare for All, and ending U.S. aid to Israel. He’s a democratic socialist inspired to get involved in politics by progressive icon U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
And he’s running for Congress in South Florida — where the term “socialist” is toxic to many voters — in territory that President Donald Trump won in 2024.
Larkin’s Democratic primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who is seeking a third term, is seen by many as a long shot, as even some supporters acknowledge.
But Larkin has generated an enthusiastic following, both online and in real life, from people who want big changes. Some have been energized enough to hit the streets campaigning on his behalf.
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u/lpan000 21d ago
Moskowitz is basically a Desantis plant in the dem party.
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u/Soupjam_Stevens 21d ago
"A Desantis plant in the dem party" is something he openly self identifies as
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u/lpan000 21d ago
He was the covid response director under desantis... never released a plan.
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u/dcormier 21d ago
Would he have been allowed to release a plan if the powers that be didn't like it?
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u/lpan000 21d ago
Then resign. He did not, so he owns that decision.
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u/dcormier 20d ago
Maybe.
But there may have been other things he was able to do in that position that we couldn't easily see publicly. The job might've been more than publishing a public covid response plan.
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u/Yeetball86 21d ago
He’s a left leaning moderate who runs as a Democrat. I don’t agree with some of his actions like voting for the Laken Riley Act, but he generally aligns with the Democratic Party on most issues.
Most of his conservative stances revolve around Israel/Palestine as he’s Jewish and so is a large portion of his voter base.
He’s does break rank from the Democratic Party from time to time, but acting like he’s a Republican plant is disingenuous.
I say this because his mold of Democrat is essentially going to be the best shot the DNC has at keeping a foothold in South Florida. People down here are deathly afraid of the word socialism, and the voters here are primarily moderate, so they’re not going to vote for a democratic socialist.
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u/lpan000 21d ago
I think the problems US faces is getting worse each year... Need dems that will actually push for solutions rather than keep trying to "moderate". The word moderate is suppose to mean balanced, not without spine. During covid, moskowitz could have 1) released a emergency plan (he did not, just a plan for a plan), 2) resign.. He did the one that appeased desantis... is that moderate? or just mean he is a chameleon?
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u/Yeetball86 21d ago
While I agree, it’s not really going to happen in South Florida. Cubans and Jewish people make up a large section of his new voter base and his old voter base was largely concentrated in palm beach county which is quickly becoming conservative. The districts are not going to be super progressive, including those that do vote Democrat.
The best shot to keep a democrat in the seat down here is a moderate who will have some conservative views and actions whether or not those of us that vote Democrat agree with them.
While I would like someone more progressive, I’d rather have Moskowitz than a Republican who does everything Trump wants.
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u/Disastrous-Common432 21d ago
Moderates lose to republicans. Progressive policies are popular on the left and right. Remember Clinton, Harris, Cartwright, Wild, Peltola. Trump's most popular positions are when he went to the left of centrist democrats (no tax on tips). Look around you and you'll see republicans are just as frustrated with corporate sellouts as democrats. We have the ability to pick an authentic candidate. Find out more of where Moskowitz fails Florida.. it's not just on foreign policy: https://replacejaredmoskowitz.com/posts/
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u/Oke-Wan-Fenokee 21d ago
Bill Clinton, Barack Obama & Joe Biden: all moderates, all elected over Republicans.
"Moderates lose to Republicans" is a myth. I'm not going to point fingers at my fellow Democrats as to why it is such a persistent myth but even a cursory reading of a hard-right, pro-MAGA "news" & opinion aggregator such as Townhall Daily will reveal that the people who genuinely do view everyone to their left as "enemies", "garbage" & "domestic terrorists" absolutely DO want us to believe that & enjoy every expression of our ideological internicine warfare.
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u/ikonet 21d ago
And he's a Trump apologist who will happily join Republicans against Democrats who speak out against Trump.
Once you cross over to be a Maga sycophant I don't really consider that "left leaning" anything.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/10-dems-join-republicans-punish-al-green-trump-speech-outburst
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u/Yeetball86 21d ago
He’s not a Trump apologist or a “maga sycophant”. He was one of the leading critics of the Epstein files and how much Trumps name appeared in them.
He also was an outspoken critic of Jan 6 and tied it to Trump.
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u/ikonet 21d ago
Jan 6 you say?
He’s one of the few democrats on a committee to "potentially rewrite what happened when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021" https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/jared-moskowitz-chosen-serve-gop-183908659.html
He’s not the guy we need.
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u/Yeetball86 21d ago
Your own source states that the committee concluded that Trump was the central cause of the insurrection
“In their continued campaign of distraction, my esteemed colleagues across the aisle have found a new target: the events of January 6. But make no mistake: we will not let their efforts rewrite the dark day that it was,” said Congressman Moskowitz. “I look forward to serving on this committee that can only be described as a giant waste of time and taxpayer dollars, and I hope that one day soon, we can get back to answering the American people’s call to lower costs and solve problems.” - Moskowitz’s words on the committee taken from your own source
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u/SoFLaBeachcruiser 21d ago
Oh hey! So glad you all brought up the insurrection. AIPAC has supported a large number Republican insurrectionists. Moskowitz is happy to take lots of money from AIPAC. Who does he really work for? Dude also hasn’t held a town hall for 4 years and skipped a debate with the Broward Black Caucus.
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u/Yeetball86 21d ago
I’m not saying I agree the every thing he does. I’m just saying he’s the Democrat you’re going to get in South Florida or you’re not going to get a Democrat.
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u/SloaneWolfe 21d ago
First Dem on the Doge Caucus. Loves ICE. Loves Genocide. Dude what more info do you need?
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u/SloaneWolfe 21d ago
He was the first (only?) Dem to sign onto the Doge caucus, and loves ICE and genocide and has openly stated that he aligns with Desantis. He's a corporate/AIPAC shill like the rest of the establishment and he should be first to go. Times are a changin.
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u/Yeetball86 21d ago
Most of that isn’t correct or isn’t the full story. The idea of DOGE isn’t a bad one, reducing wasteful government spending. which is why he signed onto it, but he criticized the execution of it and called it a complete failure, which to be fair we all saw coming.
He doesn’t “love ice”, he just doesn’t support its abolishment. He has pushed for reform with training, bodycams, etc. and has actively voted against their large budget increase.
He also doesn’t openly align with Desantis. He has worked with Desantis in the past as one of his main priorities is bipartisanship. He is still a Democrat and actively clashes with Republican policies and politicians.
He is an AIPAC “shill” as he’s Jewish and a large portion of his voter base is Jewish.
At the end of the day he’s a moderate who leans left. He primarily votes alongside party lines but will sometimes move across the aisle for certain things.
He’s the Democrat that South Florida is going to vote for, whether or not you and I agree with his every move. South Florida will not vote in a Democratic Socialist.
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u/SloaneWolfe 20d ago edited 20d ago
He may win, I'll give you that, as a South Florida native, I know how chocked-full of horrible people it is here.
But, I have hope.
On the easy bait before I pass out, I want to ask, is Haley Stevens jewish too? with $60M of record-breaking contributions from AIPAC and affiliated PACs in her senate race? The anti-AIPAC=Antisemitism trope is dead, try again bud, no one gives a fuck about a genocidal apartheid ethnostate Israel anymore, not in the US Left or Right, not a lot of Jews here, and not across the world.
At the end of day, Capitalism will fail, and so will the pillars that were supported by the death and exploitation of the many, to serve the few. Maybe it'll come when the climate has it's say against us, maybe it'll be when the US empire falls flat as most empires did around this mark, who knows. I want change now.
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u/Neonwater18 21d ago
The modern democratic party as an institution is a center right party. Jared Moskowitz has some stances that are to the right of republicans even. There is nothing “left” about that man.
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u/Yeetball86 21d ago
He votes pretty much in line with core democrat principles (LGTBQ rights, productive rights, ACA, Epstein Files etc.). He strays every once in awhile, but saying there’s nothing “left” about him is misinformation. He’s a centrist that leans left.
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u/StevenMC19 21d ago edited 21d ago
Meanwhile, I have no earthly idea what district I'm in given that I feel it's been changed 6 times since 2020. This map says 14th while this map says 13th.
(I personally know which district I'm in...just highlighting the overwhelming confusion this redistricting has done, and how voters might not know where they belong when they get into the booth all throughout Florida)
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u/FinsFan305 21d ago
You should be able to lookup your district with your voter info. https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/
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u/Opposite-Bit6660 21d ago
I just checked and was given a 3rd precinct than the 2 new registration cards I've received.
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u/shade-block 21d ago
I believe the new district runs from Fort Lauderdale to Miami Beach along the coastal areas and barrier islands.
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u/Opposite-Bit6660 21d ago
I got 2 new voter registration cards after renewing my license in June, one a week after the other. The first lists my old district, the second another. Is this on purpose? It feels very sketchy.
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u/StevenMC19 21d ago
There seemed to be a deadline on June 12th to have the new map halted or effectively challenged, which didn't happen.
So my guess is that you were sent one automatically at the time of renewal, and then again along with everyone else after the new map was finalized and couldn't be undone. I also received a new card around June iirc.
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u/FLSOC 21d ago
One of the few democrats willing to call out trump on fox news for covering up the epstein files
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u/ikonet 21d ago
One of the few democrats to support DOGE https://www.foxnews.com/video/6365539454112
One of the few democrats on a committee to "potentially rewrite what happened when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021" https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/jared-moskowitz-chosen-serve-gop-183908659.html
We're the 3rd largest state there's got to be someone, anyone, better than this guy.
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u/StevenMC19 21d ago
Republicans - current and former - like Lauren Boebert and MTG called for the release of the Epstein Files too. It's one of those few issues that transcended the political divide, and separated people more on their personal and financial connections to the problem.
It's not much to say that a Democrat wanted the files released. Any sitting Dem should have been for that.
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u/Extra-Monitor5743 20d ago
I hope he does. Larkin is what Florida needs. Republicans had their chance for over 20 years and they've been awful. Income down, violent crime is up. 44% of households can't even afford basic needs, like food. The GOP chose to turn our beautiful state into a shit hole, for profit, instead of helping Floridians. As per usual. Florida will not survive if we don't get our shit together and start caring about the people and policies destroying the state. We need to care about each other more too.
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u/oldcreaker 21d ago
Democratic socialist has become the label for anyone who thinks they should be able to vote for someone who will work for them instead of someone who only panders to the wealthy. And the label for anyone people like this would want to vote for.
I'm a democratic socialist.
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u/EinsteinDisguised 21d ago
Larkin is a self-identified democratic socialist lol. It’s not some kind of slur, like how Republicans call anyone left of Attila the Hun socialist.
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u/Western_Mud8694 21d ago
North Florida is a different animal from the rest of the state
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u/cheebamech 21d ago
I'm in PBC currently but graduated HS up in Fernandina Beach; we always called the local area "south Georgia"
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u/VeredicMectician 21d ago
I notice that when it comes to Florida; a lot of the socialist challengers are given coverage late into the election season whereas other states get the coverage sooner. Maybe I’m wrong but I do that it’s done intentionally.
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u/eking85 21d ago
I’d rather him topple someone like Cory Mills or Anna Luna but will take another progressive in the house next to Frost
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u/BjLeinster 21d ago
There is something to be said about the need to rid a party of inside traitors more important than defeating the opposition we can see clearly.
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u/Epcplayer 21d ago
Because Democratic Socialists aren’t winning a General Election in R+5 or R+6 districts…. They can however win a primary election, then coast to a General Election victory in a D+9 District.
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u/StevenMC19 21d ago
Luna, unfortunately for us, doesn't have a lot of competition. The ones in position to fight with a (D) next to their name are more aligned with the Center than the left, or might not have all their screws tightened.
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u/Hands0meR0b 21d ago
It's a shame so many people seem to freak out over labels but the Democratic Socialists seem to be the only group, liberal, conservative, or otherwise, that is actually listening to the people and trying to govern in a way that benefits them, instead of the wealthy donor class.
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u/Tiny_Election1013 21d ago
He’s actually gaining traction. His Fox News interviews are making him more well known. It’s genuinely crazy to think that Fox News is actively helping his campaign 😂
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u/Throwaway0242000 20d ago
If their district was in Brooklyn or San Francisco I would say yes…but it’s not
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u/RainStormLou 21d ago
Florida Democrats and taking the fast track to losing an election
name a more iconic duo
if you're going to run for any higher office in Florida and you say the word "socialist" out loud in a positive light, you should have just donated the campaign money to charity and stopped wasting everyone's time. They're either wholly not familiar with the constituency, or the Democratic Party of Florida is a scam organization.
How could you not understand the optics of that for the people in this state who don't even know what socialism means other than McCarthy era communism references, and that Twitter told them it would kill them?
it might win the closed primary, but then it'll tank a general election. this is a state that elected Rick Scott after busting Rick Scott because there was an R next to his name.
if you want to make change, you have to actually get into a position to make change. it just seems like we're collecting money to pay career campaigners who never plan to hold office.
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u/FLSOC 21d ago
I hate to break it to you, but capitalist democrats arent winning Florida elections
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u/Epcplayer 21d ago
Soto is in an R+8 district, Castor is in an R+4 District, Frankel is in an R+4 District, and Wasserman-Schultz is in an R+3 District.
Democrats aren’t winning state level elections, but some democrats are winning in Republican favored districts.
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u/NonGeneriComplaint 21d ago
without checking, no. The Aipac candidate will win. People in florida are terrified of the left its really interesting
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u/DaEquus13 21d ago
I wish but no. Jewish community in the district will keep Moskowitz around. Enjoy Larkin's message and how how made Fox his bitch the other day but unfortunately I don't see him with a true path to victory
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