A high-stakes meeting in Pompano Beach could help decide who runs for one of Florida's few black-majority congressional districts. Three contenders sat down together for hours in an effort to avoid a scenario that all of them fear, one that could reshape the race well before voters reach the ballot box in the summer.
The three candidates, Elijah Manley, Dale Holness and Luther Campbell, met for more than four hours as they weighed their options. The sheer length of the discussion underscored how seriously each of them is treating the question of who should ultimately carry the banner into the contest for District 20.
At the heart of their concern is the risk of splitting the black vote in the August primary. With three candidates drawing on a broadly similar base of support, they worry that dividing that vote among themselves could weaken all of their campaigns and hand the advantage to a rival in a crowded field.
The rival they have in mind is Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The candidates fear that a fractured field could open the door for her, allowing her to advance in a district where, under different circumstances, the contest would be settled among themselves rather than decided by a divided electorate.
The stakes, they argue, go well beyond a single election. Such an outcome, the candidates warn, would bring an end to 34 years of black representation in District 20, a long record that gives the seat particular significance for the community it serves and adds urgency to their effort to coordinate now.
For the moment, the path forward remains unsettled. The candidates said an announcement on who moves forward could come as soon as tomorrow, leaving open the possibility that one or more of them could step aside to consolidate support behind a single name before the primary campaign gathers pace.