Rashida Tlaib’s appearance in Florida is stirring up a fresh political mess, with criticism focusing on her backing of candidates trying to knock off two Jewish House Democrats. The fight has turned into a loud clash over the Democratic Party’s leftward shift, Israel, antisemitism, and the growing influence of socialist-aligned candidates.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., is drawing heat from Florida’s only Jewish Republican in Congress as she shows up alongside candidates aiming at Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. A rally in Fort Lauderdale is set to feature Tlaib with left-wing groups backing three congressional hopefuls, including two socialists running against the Florida Democrats.
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., didn’t mince words. He said, “I think that it’s no coincidence that she’s coming to target two of the remaining Jewish Democrats,” and added that the move would not play well in Florida.
Fine went even further, arguing that national Democrats have lost their way and warning that the party’s embrace of far-left candidates is pushing American Jews into an uncomfortable place. “I think the Democratic Party is lost, and I think it’s dangerous. I don’t know that it’s lost and dangerous in Fort Lauderdale or Florida, but nationally, the kinds of people that the Democrats are nominating, these are people who do not love America,” Fine said.
That criticism lands in the middle of a bigger fight inside the party. Candidates tied to the Democratic Socialists of America have been scoring wins over establishment Democrats in several places, and Tlaib has been firmly in that orbit throughout this election cycle.
Her political brand has long been tied to the far left, and that has made her a magnet for controversy. Opponents say some of the candidates she supports cross the line in their attacks on Israel and veer into antisemitic territory, while supporters see those claims as a bad-faith attempt to silence criticism of Israeli policy.
Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman in Congress, has faced bipartisan backlash for her comments about Israel and Jewish people. She has repeatedly denied that her remarks amount to antisemitism, but the criticism has never really gone away, and every new campaign stop seems to reopen the wound.
Fine also accused Tlaib of backing Hamas and said the rise of the far left is making Jewish Americans feel unsafe. His remarks reflect a broader Republican argument that the Democratic Party is becoming more hostile to traditional values and less interested in standing up against extremist rhetoric.
The context is bigger than one Florida rally. DSA-linked candidates have already beaten House Democrats in New York, Colorado and Michigan, and that string of victories has rattled the party’s old guard. In Michigan, socialist candidate Abdul El-Sayed also defeated establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens for the party’s Senate nomination.
Tlaib has not been shy about joining that movement. She has campaigned with El-Sayed and other socialist candidates around the country, helping give the left-wing lane more visibility and more energy at a time when the Democratic Party is already fighting over its direction.
The event in Florida is being billed as “Chomp the Oligarchy” and is backed by progressive groups like Gen Z For Change and Florida Youth Justice Coalition. That name alone tells the story: this is not a quiet, middle-of-the-road gathering, but a high-energy push from activists who want a much sharper turn away from the political establishment.
Moskowitz and Wasserman Schultz have not publicly responded to Tlaib’s scheduled appearance, and Tlaib’s team has not answered questions about Fine’s comments. Meanwhile, the redistricting fight in Florida adds another layer, with Moskowitz seeking re-election in a reshaped district and Wasserman Schultz running in a newly drawn seat that has already sparked backlash over representation and political balance.
The whole episode leaves Florida Democrats caught between loud factions, while Republicans are seizing on the moment to argue that the left’s internal power struggle is dragging the party deeper into radical politics. As this rally approaches, the heat around Tlaib, the socialist candidates, and the two Jewish lawmakers at the center of it is only getting brighter.
