Jason Pizzo, the Florida state Senate Minority Leader, announced on the Senate floor that he was leaving the Democratic Party. He proclaimed it was “dead” before declaring the change in his party affiliation during a live session on the chamber floor.
“Here’s the issue: the Democratic Party in Florida is dead,” Pizzo said. “There are good people who can resuscitate it, but they don’t want it to be me.”
“I hope that the members of the Democratic Caucus will elect a new leader,” he said. “For today, I FedExed my voter registration form to change my party affiliation to ‘No Party Affiliation.’”
Pizzo’s party change was unexpected, and the announcement caught legislators by surprise, according to reports.
“Our constituents are craving practical leaders, not political hacks,” he added.
Additionally, Pizzo likened the political squabbling within the state to the collapse of one of human civilization’s greatest empires. He said it was similar to the “infighting, power struggles, corruption, and decline of civic virtue that pervaded and eventually ushered in the fall of Rome.”
“So, too, are we players, or perhaps props, in the mess that is bottom partisanship,” Pizzo said.
He expressed a feeling of freedom after going public with his announcement.
“I think stripping myself of the title of the party designation allows me to run free and clear, clean and transparent, and help many, many more,” Pizzo said.
Pizzo is the third Florida Democrat to leave the party within the last six months, according to reports.
Nikki Fried, Chair of Florida’s Democratic Party, issued a highly critical statement on Pizzo’s departure, calling it “one of the best things to happen to the party in years.”
“Jason Pizzo is one of the most ineffective and unpopular Democratic leaders in recent memory, and his resignation is one of the best things to happen to the party in years,” Fried said in a released statement. “His legacy as leader includes continually disparaging the party base, starting fights with other members, and chasing his own personal ambitions at the expense of Democratic values.”
A GOOD DAY FOR PLUARLISM IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AT THE SUPREME COURT
“Jason’s failure to build support within our party for a gubernatorial run has led to this final embarrassing temper tantrum,” Fried added. “I’d be lying if I said I’m sad to see him go, but I wish him the best of luck in the political wilderness he’s created for himself. The Florida Democratic Party is more united without him.”
Evan Power, Florida’s Republican Party Chair, had a different message about Pizzo’s party switch. He said it was indicative of the “radicalization of today’s Democratic Party.”
