Phil Ehr, a Democratic candidate for Florida's 28th Congressional District, declared on Tuesday that he will not support fellow Democrat Angie Nixon or defend her comments about Cuba made during a televised interview. Ehr becomes the first significant Democratic contender for the House to publicly criticize the Senate candidate.
The controversy erupted after Nixon's interview with CBS News, where she was directly asked if Cuba is a dictatorship. She replied, "That's what I've been told. I've never been to Cuba, so I have to take their word for it."
This response sparked a wave of criticism as the campaign approached the November 3 elections, where Nixon is competing against Republican Ashley Moody for the Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, who became Secretary of State.
Ehr, a retired U.S. Navy commander with 26 years of service, issued a detailed statement on X, emphatically stating, "Cuba is a communist dictatorship. Anyone aspiring to serve in the United States Senate should be able to say those words without hesitation."
The former naval officer linked his stance to his personal history: "My first mission in the U.S. Navy was rescuing Cuban families fleeing the Castro regime. I spent the next 26 years defending the Constitution and the freedoms those families risked everything for."
Ehr also highlighted Nixon's affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), an organization he noted, "has sent delegations to Havana to meet with Cuban government officials and has publicly praised the achievements of Cuban socialism," while the Cuban people live under a regime that imprisons dissenters and suppresses opposition.
"There's nothing progressive about making excuses for communist dictatorships. And there's nothing democratic about refusing to acknowledge one," Ehr wrote, before ending with a strong statement: "I will not endorse Angie Nixon or defend her words. If the Democratic Party won't condemn them, I will. The Democratic Party doesn't own my conscience, and political loyalty will never take precedence over my duty to this country."
Nixon responded hours later with a message in Spanish attempting to clarify her position: "Let me be clear: I do not celebrate Castro. I call Cuba what it is, an authoritarian regime, and I will fight for the Cuban families who fled it." Her campaign also released a comparative graphic accusing Moody of supporting federal funds to deport Cuban families back to the regime they escaped.
The candidate also questioned the initial CBS News coverage, which deleted its original publication and issued a corrected version with an editorial note acknowledging that "an earlier version did not accurately reflect Nixon's response."
Ehr isn't the only Democrat distancing himself from Nixon. Eliott Rodriguez, candidate for District 27 and son of Cuban immigrants, also publicly distanced himself, stating, "Cuba being a dictatorship is not a matter of opinion. It's a fact."
The controversy emerges at a critical moment for Nixon, whose affiliation with the DSA has raised concerns among Democratic strategists since she won the primary in August with 56% of the vote, given the significant Cuban-American electorate in Miami-Dade.
NBC Miami polls show Moody leading Nixon, although the margin varies between surveys, and early voting is already underway in the county with 28 polling stations open until November 1.
Key Questions on Phil Ehr's Criticism of Angie Nixon's Cuba Comments
Why did Phil Ehr criticize Angie Nixon?
Phil Ehr criticized Angie Nixon for her reluctance to clearly label Cuba as a communist dictatorship during a televised interview.
What is Angie Nixon's stance on Cuba?
Angie Nixon clarified that she views Cuba as an authoritarian regime and does not celebrate Castro, although her initial comments suggested uncertainty.
How did other Democrats react to Nixon's comments?
Other Democrats, such as Eliott Rodriguez, also distanced themselves from Nixon, emphasizing that Cuba's status as a dictatorship is a factual matter.