Potential successor to cowboy hat-wearing Dem tops crowded Florida primary

Retiring Rep. Frederica Wilson’s chosen successor has won the crowded Democratic primary to replace her in Congress.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert is now likely to follow Wilson, D-Fla., to Congress representing her safe blue seat in Florida’s 24th Congressional District.

The district is located in South Florida and includes part of Miami. It remains largely Democratic after Florida Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map this year, though areas along the shore, including Miami Beach, are now part of a neighboring constituency.

Wilson has been in Congress since 2011, first representing Florida’s 17th Congressional District for a single term before redistricting spurred her to run in the 24th.

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She is perhaps best known for her eccentric attire, which centers on brightly colored wide-brimmed hats that Wilson regularly wears both inside and outside the U.S. Capitol.

Her exit from Congress at the end of this year spurred a mad dash among Democrats to replace her, with seven people running in the party’s primary.

House Democratic leaders have stayed out of the race so far but are likely to coalesce behind the now-chosen winner.

Wilson emphatically endorsed Democrat Oliver Gilbert in the race, declaring at a rally for the candidate, “If I am endorsing you, everybody in District 24 should be endorsing you.”

And while competitive, the race was notable in that it was not one of the litany of high-profile clashes between establishment Democrats and the far-left that have come to define the 2026 midterm season.

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Far-left Democrats across the country, many linked to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), have been posing competitive challenges and, in some cases, even unseating incumbent lawmakers within the party.

Elsewhere in Florida, DSA member Oliver Larkin challenged moderate Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., in a district drawn to more heavily favor Republicans this year.

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Self-described socialist Elijah Manley is one of many challengers to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who has generated controversy for running in a majority-Black district after her own seat was changed by the Florida GOP-backed new congressional map. Wasserman Schultz won Tuesday night.