Debbie's Double Trouble

Getting unceremoniously (and rightfully) booted out of the DNC driver's seat last month, Debbie Wasserman Schultz now faces a primary challenge from Tim Canova who may very well unseat her from her long-time Florida district as she faces the first real political fight she's had in ages.

Her House seat is on the line in a primary race against well-funded challenger Tim Canova, and the battle is heating up amid the fallout from her resignation following the leak of hacked emails that showed DNC officials plotting to undermine Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) presidential campaign in the Democratic primary. 

Some think the race has changed after the former chairwoman’s tough week. 

“I think this has really shifted the race,” said Kathryn DePalo, a political science professor at Florida International University. “I think she’s going to have a tough fight. I think she’s probably going to win, but it’ll be close.” 

She added that a Canova victory would not be a surprise. “I think that’s how devastating these email leaks have been,” DePalo said. 

Wasserman Schultz was booed off the stage by Sanders supporters at the Florida delegation breakfast on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week. 

“The constant refrain that I heard is she can eke it out,” said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at University of South Florida in Tampa. 

But MacManus said it won’t be without a fight. 

“She’s got to come home and work her constituency,” she said. “She hasn’t had to for years.

For his part, challenger Tim Canova says his polling shows him within eight points.

The poll showed that Wasserman Schultz leads 46-38 percent with 16 percent undecided. Her lead narrows after the pollster provided positive and negative information about the candidates, but the press release from Canova's campaign didn't reveal the information provided to voters. 

Canova and Wasserman Schultz are competing in a Democratic primary in the Broward/Miami-Dade Congressional District 23. The primary is Aug. 30th but voters are already casting ballots by mail. 

The poll showed that 52 percent of respondents view Wasserman Schultz favorably and 35 percent unfavorably while 13 percent have no opinion of her or never heard of her. For Canova, his favorable-unfavorable split is 32-8 percent. 

But the poll shows Canova's biggest weakness: 60 percent of voters have no opinion/never heard of him. Despite his national media exposure due to Bernie Sanders endorsing him and his prolific fundraising, he is a first-time candidate who isn't well known in the district. Wasserman Schultz has been an elected official for more than two decades -- first in the state Legislature and elected to Congress in 2004.

Frankly, I'm alright with DWS being in Congress, it's not my call if the people in her district want to be represented by her.  My problem was that she was an abysmal party chair, and now that's over and done with.  Driving her out of Congress completely was plan B as far as I was concerned, as long as she was ousted as chair.  She of course was.

Canova of course is welcome to challenge her and is doing so.  We'll see what the voters decide.