I want to be candid. In the wake of an absolutely historic night for Democrats, I find myself excited, but also really fucking frustrated and fired up.

I had the pleasure of volunteering for Angie Nixon’s historic Senate campaign down in Florida. What she did without the backing of the party and its war chest was truly astounding. Angie had just under $12 million. Similar Democratic Senatorial candidates had much more. Talarico had $146 million; Ossoff had $116 million.

She was also outspent 17 to 1 in the primary, and in the general her opponent had more than double the amount that Angie had and had access to considerably more in outside spending.

Given those realities, Angie getting so close to victory is an astonishing achievement. It is also an indictment of the Democratic Party establishment and the Black political intellectual class for their abandonment of her candidacy.

It speaks to a lack of political imagination that they could not see that a dark-skinned, natural-haired Black women, who is unabashed in her people-centered politics, could be successful in a state like Florida. That her message of fighting the oligarchy and fighting for the needs of everyday working people could activate disaffected voters and create a new electoral opportunity in a state that national Democrats have long decided was a lost cause.

This was her path to victory in the primary, where she won by 12 points. This is how Zohran Mamdani was able to go from a candidate polling at 1% to the mayor of New York City. And similarly, this is how Trump rose to power in 2016 and 2024: by remaking the electorate and turning out voters who had been disengaged from the political process.

Part of me is frustrated that the Democratic Party’s political and thought leaders continue to overlook this strategy for electoral success. But the other part of me knows why: they only want to win a certain way.

And for Black candidates in particular, their support seems to only be reserved for the polished, moderate candidate who won’t rock the boat.

It is rich that a party that talks about how Black voters, and Black women in particular, are the base of the Democratic Party places conditions on their support for Black candidates. It’s fine to talk about Blackness and use identitarianism, as long as you don’t challenge corporate power.

Why wasn’t Angie Nixon afforded the same media coverage or lift from politicians, political commentators, or influencers as Jasmine Crockett? Why was Cori Bush abandoned, twice? Why wasn’t there an outcry when Jamal Bowman was taken out by a white challenger fueled by AIPAC? There’s been so much hay made about Black voters and the need to respect Black political leaders, and yet, all of that messaging seems to conveniently go out of the window for candidates who, in the mold of Shirley Chisholm, are truly unbought and unbossed.

Race is, of course, important to our politics and to our lived realities. And racial reductionism that disregards issues of race as merely identity politics impedes racial progress. At the same time, using race as a tool of electoral politics cheapens issues of race that we as a nation, and as a larger society, still have to work through. It is a cynical exploitation of very real racial struggles for convenient political gain.

Doing so erodes trust and makes people less likely to regard issues of race as valid. It is the Boy Who Cried Wolf syndrome. It explains much of the backlash to DEI that has resulted in serious reductions in Black employment nationwide.

So when I see race, my race, tossed across like a political tool by well-paid politicians, consultants, and media figures who could not give two damns about the issues facing working-class Black and Brown folks on the ground, I get angry. And I also get mad at our Black political organizations, political commentators, and influencers who continue to validate the use of this political strategy. The “Yasss Queen” and the “first Black XYZ politician” of it all seem to be more important than advocating for policies that will make a material difference in the lives of those at the margins.

Cori Bush sleeping on the steps of the Capitol for a week in order to get the Biden administration to extend the eviction moratorium was heroic and led to thousands of people being able to stay in their homes. Angie Nixon, standing on the floor of the Florida State House to advance a resolution for a ceasefire in 2023, showed a strength of character that should have been celebrated, particularly by our Black organizations and leaders.

These women are standing in the tradition of Black political engagement that has always been deemed as radical by those who prefer a status quo that assuages comfort. Prioritizing a substanceless representational politics is not standing in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr., of Jesse Jackson, or of Fannie Lou Hamer. These women are. And so are many others that have been overlooked by the Democratic Party ecosystem.

Charles Booker in Kentucky could have won if he had proper investment. Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin was a point away from beating Ron Johnson in 2022. But they were not the right kind of candidates, so they did not get the investment, or the coverage, that other candidates received.

Gary Chambers, who also ran in 2022 and was largely overlooked by the party as well as the Black political media ecosystem, has long spoken about how there is untapped potential in the South via an activated Black electorate. The results of 2026 have shown him to be correct.

Moving forward, if Democrats want to continue to be successful in this new era where the South, and other parts of the country, are now in play, Black grassroots candidates cannot be overlooked. There are so many for whom the couch has been a more compelling choice than the voting booth. And candidates like Angie Nixon are the ones who can reach those voters and remake the map in the process.

It would behoove the Democratic Party not to overlook these candidates. It is also incumbent on Black intellectuals in the Black media ecosystem not to continue to allow their messaging and analysis to be dictated and co-opted by the party establishment.

Black political talent is worthy of investment. And that includes Black political talents with economically progressive politics. Y’all say Black people are the base of the Democratic Party. It’s time to act like it.

Today is election day, and I am in Florida preparing to hit the streets for one final push for Angie Nixon’s campaign for Senate. Like many across this state and the country, I have been inspired by her candidacy, her willingness to stand boldly and unapologetically for the working class. She does not take corporate money and has not been afraid to stand up for what is right, even when doing so is unpopular and not politically expedient or advantageous. Seeing her boldly stand up on the Florida State House floor to decry the slaughter of Palestinian children in 2023 gave me a clear picture of the strength of her convictions and the quality of her character. Seeing her defy Florida’s draconian efforts to ban books by opening a bookstore where everyone could see themselves in the stories presented in the pages showed me that she is about being of service to her community. She is the real deal. She’s not new to this; she’s true to this.

Despite what the prognosticators will say, I have a feeling that Nixon has a real chance. And her candidacy is not bound by a limitation of imagination, but rather is centered on asking “why not us too, and why not now, and why not here, in Florida?” That’s a message that drives turnout, activates a base that has long felt forgotten, and injects energy into a state that national Democrats have all but abandoned in recent years. I believe Angie’s impact will be felt up and down the ballot and, no matter the outcome, will show that there’s real opportunity in the South, in Florida, and the southern Black vote in particular.

But before the final votes are tallied, I want to have a real conversation with Democrats about this race and what it means for our party and our politics.

The national party, major Democratic organizations, and political figures have not supported this campaign to the degree that they should have. After her surprise primary victory, she was not afforded the financial or institutional backing that would normally come with securing the Democratic nomination. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee did not give funding until very recently. And even that support has been tepid at best. Democratic strategist Bakari Sellers, in the wake of Angie’s primary win, said on national TV that “now we won’t be wasting money on Florida.” After significant backlash, he walked back his comments, but the message had already been sent.

I want to be clear: if Angie pulls off the extraordinary, which I firmly believe is possible, it will be because of the work she and her incredible team have bootstrapped together.

The Democratic Party often talks about how Black voters, and Black women in particular, are the base of the Democratic Party. It is high time for the party and its infrastructure to truly put their money where their mouth is. Having someone with a people-centered politics should not be considered a liability but rather be considered an asset.

Party support should not only be reserved for Black political candidates who fit a certain image. Those who are real show up in all kinds of ways. Real recognize real, and it’s for the party to recognize it too.

Florida, you have a real opportunity to elect a true people-centered person to the United States Senate. I believe that amazing things are possible and that together, we can achieve something great.

I am about to hit the streets for one final push for Angie. If you are in Florida, please vote for her. If you are not, please reach out to family and friends to encourage them to do so.

Together, a better, more hopeful politics and political reality is possible. I’m ready for us to shoot for the moon.

Let’s do this!