Overview:
A look at three elections with particular significance for Haitian Americans, including gubernatorial contest and the race to replace U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson in Florida, and other key contests in different states. Part I
FLORIDA
With an estimated 870,000 Haitian Americans living in Florida, more than half of us, this state is always a major focus. Especially in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Osceola and St. Lucie counties.
Florida governor: Byron Donalds vs. David Jolly
Florida’s race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pits Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Trump ally, against Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who has emerged as a critic of the president.
The contest comes as Florida remains at the center of national debates over immigration enforcement, deportations and cooperation between state and federal authorities.
Donalds, who represents Southwest Florida in Congress, has received Trump’s endorsement and aligned himself with the president’s immigration agenda. Jolly, who left the Republican Party before joining the Democrats, has campaigned on affordability, public education and a different approach to immigration policy.
The election carries particular significance in South Florida, home to one of the nation’s largest Haitian populations. Both parties have sought to engage Haitian American voters, a constituency whose political affiliations and priorities vary across communities and generations.
The next governor will have authority over state agencies, budgets and policies affecting immigrant families, including Florida’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The governor cannot independently restore federal TPS protections.
For Haitian American voters, the race raises questions about how the next administration would handle immigration enforcement, economic pressures and access to state services.
Several minor-party and independent candidates are also running.
U.S. Senate: Democrat Angie Dixon vs. Republican Ashley Moody
Democrat Angie Nixon and Republican Ashley Moody are vying in a special election for the remainder of the term in the Senate seat Marco Rubio once held before becoming Secretary of State.
Gov. DeSantis had appointed Moody, a former attorney general, judge and federal prosecutor, to replace Rubio. She is running to retain the seat until 2029.
Nixon is a self-proclaimed socialist and State Representative from Jacksonville, who refuses corporate PAC money in her campaign. She has led a grassroots campaign that propelled her over the Democratic establishment’s favorite, Alex Vindman, in the August primary. Now, she hopes to upset Moody, who leads in the latest polls by about 4-6 percentage points.
Florida’s 24th Congressional District: Oliver Gilbert III vs. Te Brown
For the first time in more than a decade, voters in Florida’s 24th Congressional District will elect a new representative.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, who has represented the district since 2011, is retiring, leaving an open seat in a district that includes Little Haiti, Miami Gardens, North Miami and other communities across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert III won the Democratic primary in August, defeating a field that included two Haitian American candidates, former county Commissioner Jean Monestime and physician Rudolph Moise.
Gilbert, a former Miami Gardens mayor, received Wilson’s endorsement and has emphasized his local government experience. He faces Republican Te Mayonna Brown in the Nov. 3 general election.
Wilson has been a prominent advocate for Haitian communities during her tenure in Congress, including on immigration protections and U.S. policy toward Haiti.
Her departure creates a change in representation for a district with longstanding ties to Haiti and a substantial Haitian American population.
The next representative will have a voice in congressional debates over immigration legislation, federal funding, foreign policy and economic issues affecting South Florida.
Beyond the candidates, the election raises a broader question: How will the district’s next representative respond to the needs of Haitian constituents as immigration protections and U.S.-Haiti relations remain under debate?
Miami-Dade School Board: Linda Cothière vs. Katrina Wilson (Non-partisan)
Linda Cothière, a Haiti-born public school educator, is in a runoff against Katrina Wilson, another longtime Miami-Dade educator, for District 1. Neither candidate secured more than 50% of the vote in the nonpartisan election primaries in August. Wilson finished first with 33% of the vote, while Cothière received 21%, according to results reported after the Aug. 18 vote.
The race carries particular significance for South Florida’s Haitian-heavy community because a Cothière victory would put a Haitian American on the board overseeing one of the nation’s largest public school districts. District 1 includes North Miami, North Miami Beach, Biscayne Gardens and Opa-locka, areas with substantial Haitian populations.
Coral Springs City Commission: Marly Métayer vs. Four Contenders
Marly Métayer, a Haitian American nurse and the mother of slain Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Métayer, is running to fill her daughter’s vacant City Commission seat in a local election that coincides with Florida’s midterm elections on Nov. 3. She faces four other opponents. This race is a nonpartisan municipal election for Coral Springs City Commission Seat 3. The winner will serve the remaining two years of the late Métayer’s term.
The race matters especially to South Florida’s Haitian American community. Métayer, 38, was the first Black and Haitian American woman elected to the Coral Springs City Commission and became a rising star in the state’s Democratic Party. She was found dead at her home on April 1, and her husband, Stephen Bowen, was charged in her killing.
Her mother entered the race in May, saying she wanted to continue her daughter’s public service rather than leave her work unfinished.
Born in Haiti, Métayer’s mother immigrated to the U.S. at age 13. Métayer became a registered nurse, has more than 35 years of health care experience, and raised four children in Coral Springs, where she has lived for decades. She has never held elected office.
