Elizabeth Warren Just Picked Up a Major Florida Endorsement

Sen. Elizabeth Warren just picked up a major endorsement from the Sunshine State.

The Massachusetts senator earned the support of New Florida Majority this weekend during a two-day conference in West Palm Beach. The progressive advocacy group says it will mobilize its statewide network in support of Warren's candidacy to be the next U.S. president.

During rank choice voting yesterday, members of New Florida Majority selected to endorse Warren. Sen. Bernie Sanders was the runnerup. Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro came in a distant third.

"We're prepared to support whoever the candidate is to defeat Trump and his agenda of inequality and division, and our members believe Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate for the job," Andrea Mercado, executive director of the New Florida Majority, said in a statement. "We are ready to mobilize our communities in support of Elizabeth Warren to ensure her plans for big structural change become a reality that improves our lives."

Last night, Warren responded to the endorsement with enthusiasm.

“New Florida Majority has played a critical role reaching and activating voters in marginalized communities all over Florida," Warren said in a media statement. "Together, we will reclaim our democracy, to end the culture of corruption in Tallahassee and Washington, that has put the interests of corporations and billionaires over working families."
Over the past few years, New Florida Majority has made a name for itself as a progressive player in state politics. The group says it has registered 50,000 new voters since 2017 and plans to reach 100,000 additional new voters in 2020. The organization also partnered with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition in 2018 to collect a million signatures to place Amendment 4 — the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative — on the ballot.

After endorsing Andrew Gillum early in the 2018 gubernatorial primary, New Florida Majority represented the largest independent field campaign mobilizing on his behalf. Gillum ultimately lost to Gov. Ron DeSantis by less than half a point, or 30,000 votes.

According to the Daily Beast, Warren and Gillum have been in communication over the past several months, igniting rumors that Warren might be considering the former Tallahassee mayor as a running mate. Sen. Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden also have reportedly spoken with Gillum.