Hoye blasts Gov. DeSantis’s Black assault on ‘The ReidOut.’
BY SHEILA JAMES, Contributor
TALLAHASSEE — Rick Hoye returned to Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee after a long day of prayer, marches and a rally with the Rev. Al Sharpton. Hoye is running to be chair of the Florida Democratic Party. He was the only candidate to participate in those events that blasted Gov. Ron DeSantis for removing Black history from public schools and the Advanced Placement curriculum.
Hoye said the absence of the other candidates speaks to the failure to recognize that DeSantis is brutalizing Black Floridians. He adds that the Black attacks of the Trump acolyte have been the primary focus of the governor’s agenda.
Rick Hoye, chair of Broward County Democratic Executive Committee and political commentator Joy Reid.
That evening Hoye appeared on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut.” Joy Reid, the popular talk show host, asked him why he was running to lead the battered FDP. He said, “One reason is because Ron DeSantis is a repeat offender of Black Floridians. The other reason is because Floridians don’t deserve a stunt man for governor.”
Black voters make up a third of the FDP, and Hoye said the party has failed to put the time or resources into the community beyond a few months before election day.
“Democrats can’t win without the Black vote. Just ask President Joe Biden. We can’t expect them to turn out if we’re not paying attention. This must be a consistent effort that becomes part of the overarching campaign,” Hoye explained.
Hoye said the glaring failure to engage Black Democrats properly is among a host of basic party strategic plans that have evaporated.
“Not even a ground game in the South Florida strongholds of Dade and Palm Beach counties. My county, Broward County, survived the Republican onslaught. We did the work alone.”
Hoye is currently the chairman of Broward County Democratic Executive Committee.
