TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Sen. Blaise Ingoglia is backing a new bill in Florida that he calls the “Ultimate Cancel Act,” aimed to ban any political party that once included slavery in their platforms from running in the state, including the Florida Democratic Party.
While the bill does not specifically name the Democratic Party, Senator Ingoglia has made it clear that this is his target.
“For years now, leftist activists have been trying to ‘cancel’ people and companies for things they have said or done in the past. This includes the removal of statues and memorials and the renaming of buildings,” he said in a statement. “Using this standard, it would be hypocritical not to cancel the Democratic Party itself for the same reason.”
On Tuesday night, Ingoglia quote tweeted a tweet that said, “This man just single handily trolled an entire state political party…..and they fell for it LMAO Say something nice about Blaise Ingoglia.”
Ingoglia responded, “Fact check: TRUE,” seeming to indicate that filing the legislation was a stunt.
READ: ‘I bring my biggest gun:’ Teen arrested in connection to social media threat against Landmark Middle
The measure (SB 1248) would switch Democratic voters to no-party voters or give them the option of choosing another party.
Senator Ingoglia noted that the Democratic Party adopted pro-slavery positions in their platforms during conventions in 1840, 1844, 1856, 1860, and 1864. He believes that canceling the Democratic Party is a necessary step to confront their past.\
“Some people want to have ‘uncomfortable conversations’ about certain subjects. Let’s have those conversations,” Igoglia said.
Historically, the Democratic Party’s beginnings were rooted in states’ rights, including slavery. The party split during the Civil War, with Southern Democrats favoring slavery in all territories and Northern Democrats arguing it should go to a popular vote.
A century later, it was a Democratic president from the South, Lyndon Johnson, who signed the Civil Rights Act.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
This action led to what is often referred to as a “party switch”, where the Democratic Party began to embrace progressive policies and civil rights, while the Republican Party which was once associated with abolitionism and progressive policies, now champions conservative values and policies.
This historical context adds another layer of complexity to Senator Ingoglia’s proposal to cancel the Democratic Party based on their past association with slavery.
According to Ingoglia’s bill, the Division of Elections would decertify any political party that has “previously advocated for, or been in support of, slavery or involuntary servitude.”
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Registered voters of that party would receive notices from the state that their party has been “canceled” and that they’re now no-party voters.
As for the canceled Democratic Party, members could re-register with the state so long as the name is “substantially different from the name of any other party previously registered.”
If passed, the law would take effect on July 1.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
