Where's Florida at the DNC? Far from the stage, close to the bathrooms
MIAMI - Florida is taking a backseat in this year's presidential election. Literally a backseat.
The Florida delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago arrived earlier today to find themselves at the very back of the United Center - as far away from the main stage as you could possibly be.
Even South Dakota has better seats than Florida.
South Dakota!
"We're sitting in the red-headed stepchild section," one Florida delegate told CBS News Miami.
"Sure, some delegations are front and center, but Florida delegates have the best access to the restrooms," another delegate joked. "Take that Pennsylvania!"
The location of where each state is assigned inside the convention hall can be even more complicated than planning the seating arrangement for a wedding. (And if this was a wedding, Florida would be sitting at table with the weird unmarried cousins that nobody wants to talk to.)
Some decisions are obvious. California is front and center because the nominee, Kamala Harris, is from California. Minnesota, where vice presidential candidate Tim Walz hails from, has a prime spot on the floor. Illinois, which is hosting the convention, and Delaware, President Biden's home state, also occupy prime real estate.
But then there are certain strategic placements. Pennsylvania - the most important swing state in this year's election is at the very front of the stage. In fact, they are sitting so close to the stage that if the rumors about Beyonce singing at the convention on Thursday are true, they are going to have the best seats in the house. (Florida delegates may want to bring their binoculars.)
Other swing states - Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina – have also been given prime spots. The Georgia delegation is on the floor, as is Arizona.
A few states have great seats because of the clout of their politicians. The New York delegation has smack dab in the middle of the action, and you have to imagine having the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, and the Democratic leader for the House, Hakeem Jeffries, are both from New York.
In previous election cycles, Florida parlayed their clout as the swingiest swing state in the country with great seats on the floor. Now, they are in the back and some of their seats are partially obstructed by a platform for cameras and the audio control booth.
There could be other reasons why Florida is sitting in the back. For instance, perhaps it was a way of snubbing Donald Trump's adopted home state.
After CBS Miami noted where the Florida delegation was sitting, the chair of the Florida Republican Party, Evan Power, responded by writing, "So I guess no one believes @NikkiFried and the @FlaDems" when they argue that Florida is still in play this November. Nikki Fried is the Democratic Party chair.
In recent weeks, Democrats in Florida have suggested that with Harris now at the top of the ticket, Florida could be up for grabs. However, as Harris and Walz have gone across the country to the key battleground states over the past two weeks, they have bypassed Florida. Also, Republicans now have a large advantage in voter registration in Florida, leading Democrats by nearly 1 million registered voters.
Shevrin Jones, the chair of the Democratic Party in Miami-Dade County, said he wasn't upset by where he and his fellow Florida delegates were sitting. "I think we're just excited to be in the room to witness the first Black woman nominated as President of the United States," he told CBS Miami. "However, I will say this: the good book says that the last shall be first! When the numbers come in on November 5th, everyone will see that we truly meant it when we said we were taking back Florida."