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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe iconic panther once reduced to fewer than two dozen in Florida and now numbering close to 300, was introduced Saturday as the new icon for Florida Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They too once ruled the state but have been out of power and in the wilderness since the 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Florida panther won\u2019t back down from a fight,\u201d Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said about the animal that nearly disappeared from Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe gave the donkey the boot. It is time to kick ass,\u201d Fried added in a video produced at the Leadership Blue fundraiser in Orlando Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Florida Republicans quickly embraced the irony of their opponents picking an endangered species as their symbol. Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power said that a nearly-extinct animal is a fitting choice for a party that has lost 1.2 million net registered voters over the past four years and has not won a statewide contest since Fried’s election to one term as state agriculture commissioner in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you come into contact with a Florida Democrat in the wild, whether they identify as a donkey or a panther, we urge them to notify Nikki Fried and her team immediately,\u201d Power said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once kings of the wilderness, panthers now dwindle<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourteen months ago, Fried assumed control of a party that, like the range the panther once roamed, has become a shell of what it once was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The GOP routed the Democrats in 2022, left them in a super-minority status in the Florida Legislature, without any statewide office holders, and outnumbered 20-8 in the congressional delegation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in the weeks leading up to the annual statewide fundraiser, Fried suspended three party chairs for a lack of cooperation and repeated failures to follow party rules, recruited candidates for all 28 congressional races, and launched an aggressive campaign to find candidates for legislative races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St. Petersburg College political science professor Tara Newsom found the one-minute video that announced the mascot change to be \u201cspot on\u201d rebranding for a political party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It features a dozen officials who won election the past two years, along with Democratic veterans U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Senate Democratic Leader-designate Jason Pizzo, and state Rep. Anna Eskamani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tightly edited montage dissolves into a panther eye and then a frame of a panther over the Everglades. It ends with a panther roar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Newsom, founder of the Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement, said the hype video and new mascot is an attempt to realign the Democratic Party with voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While it showcases President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the editing subtly addresses what many suspect is the Democrats\u2019 biggest weakness in the fall campaign \u2013 Biden’s age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Images of Biden, 81, and Harris, 59, are juxtaposed with the Democratic mayors of Jacksonville and Tampa, Donna Deegan and Jane Castor; state Rep. Tom Keen, who flipped a GOP seat; and U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s this narrative about how tired Biden is. This new branding is saying, ‘No, no, no. Take a closer look. We\u2019re more than just Joe Biden. We are young, nimble, agile and we want your vote,’ \u201d Newsom said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats stuck with donkey since 19th century<\/p>\n\n\n\n