Every so often, we see a sports franchise alter the team insignia for various reasons—usually, it is meant to generate more income while attempting to stoke more interest in the team. Alternate jerseys, refreshed color combinations, and/or new logos may be introduced, all done to recast the impression of the squad and boost fan fervor. In the same fashion, the Democratic Party of Florida is making this type of move.

Ever since Nikki Fried was announced as the new state party chair, there has been great anticipation over what the former Agriculture Secretary and last Democrat elected to a major state office might bring to the affair. This latest announcement seems about in line with what was expected. For reasons both desperate and misguided (and also possibly cashing in on the fervor of the hockey team in South Florida), the state party announced that it will be adopting a new animal mascot to represent it going forward. Generating interest via policy and fresh new candidates is not apparently an option at this time.

Florida Democrats hope a new mascot brings good luck…changing their party symbol from a docile donkey to a fierce Florida panther. Florida panthers are making a comeback, they are resilient, and they don’t back down from a fight,” state Democratic Chairwoman Nikki Fried said at the party’s annual gala. “They embody our spirit as Democrats.”  

It is not clear exactly how the new icon will be employed by the state party. Will it supplant the national emblem of the donkey or be used in tandem at state events and on official releases? Will a panther become the reigning symbol throughout the election cycle or be entrenched as a permanent figure? It all remains unexplained.

Nikki Fried is no stranger to delusions, but she has been cast in the unfortunate role of leader to the party that is diminishing on a regular basis. The Republicans have been increasingly dominant in Florida for years now, well beyond the governor’s mansion. The party is also in control of the legislature, holds every major office in the capital, and when Rick Scott won his Senate race, it marked the first time Florida had two GOP senators since the 1800s.

A few years ago, the Republicans passed the Democrats in statewide voter registration. That advantage is expected to widen to more than one million voters before the year ends. It is for this reason that it was laughable to see Fried announce at the annual Democrat Gala earlier this month that she feels Florida is in play as a swing state in November.

Meanwhile, her party in Florida is in disarray. The national party has all but given up on Florida as far as aiding candidates with campaigns. The Spanish Language offices have been rudderless in South Florida for years, and during the last election, Dade County was basically an even split or showing a slight edge for Republicans, something unthinkable just a few years ago. 

Fundraising reveals these problems even further. Over the last quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of this year, the state parties show Republicans have outraised Democrats at nearly a six-to-one ratio. So Nikki Fried is reduced to the role of a cheerleader, assuring her party that all is well and they are a surging entity. So sure, they are a fierce and powerful apex predator feline, we suppose.

One thing that is evident is just how misguided this new emblem might become for the Dems. As far as embodying the spirit of the party, there are some significant accuracies. In the wild, the Florida panther is on the extremely endangered list, just like the Democrats in Tallahassee. One of the main threats to the big cats is meeting their fate on Florida highways, and Fried lost in the gubernatorial primary to Charlie Crist before he was effectively run over by Ron DeSantis, losing by 20 percent. 

This new icon is fitting, given the Democratic Party in Florida is a diminishing species in need of serious help to keep from going extinct in the Sunshine State.