Progressives back substitute teacher over Wasserman Schultz in Florida

Group backs Elijah Manley in primary election in bid to unseat veteran Democrat in newly drawn district A progressive group has endorsed a 27-year-old substitute teacher who overcame childhood homelessness in his bid to unseat the veteran Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) said it was backing Elijah Manley in next week’s primary election in Florida’s newly drawn 20th congressional district, casting the race as a contest between a young economic populist and a stalwart of the Democratic party establishment. Wasserman Schultz, 59, an 11-term congresswoman and former chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), has faced criticism from African American leaders over her decision to run as the sole white candidate in a majority-minority district where she is not a resident. This followed the creation of gerrymandered congressional maps by Florida Republicans that broke Wasserman Schultz’s current seat into five shards. She decided against running in the 22nd district, where she lives, and chose instead to compete in the deep blue 20th, which has been represented by Black Democrats for more than 30 years. Yvette Clarke, cha