New York Isn't The Only State With Democratic Legislators Crossing Over To The Dark Side-- Meet Florida's Worst Fake Dem: Darryl Rouson

Before we get to the guest post by Kartik Krishnaiyer, let me remind DWT readers just who Darryl Rouson is. The St. Pete area state Rep. may have cured his severe cocaine addiction but his record shows that he's still a crook and a danger to society in every other way. Rouson has been plagued with serious ethics and criminal problems for his entire professional life and it came as a surprise to no one that he officially joined the Republican Party-- which he had been supporting anyway-- in 2005. Two years later, though, in a quest for elective office in a deep blue district, he switched to the Democratic Party, while hanging on to his reactionary politics. As a state Rep. he has consistently backed right-wing schemes that hurt working families, particularly his votes with the Republicans against public education. Floridians know him as a sleazy huckster tied to Tallahassee business and lobbying interests and as one of the most viciously anti-LGBT "Democrats" in Florida. Rouson: "I think lesbianism and homosexuality is morally wrong and the law is supposed to discriminate sometimes."

Kartik suggested we cross-post his piece from Florida Squeeze, a blog he founded last year:

Sources: Darryl Rouson playing ball with Republicans potentially threatening Crist’s veto sustaining ability
by Kartik Krishnaiyer

As Florida's Democrats are fighting hard throughout the state to elect Charlie Crist as Governor and keep the party's numbers in the House above 1/3 of the body in order to prevent a veto-proof majority for the GOP, a dissident Democrat is quite possibly making alternative plans.

Rep. Darryl Rouson, whose ouster as Democratic House Leader Designee in September 2013 brought the more progressive and ultimately more likable Rep. Mark Pafford into the same position, continues to be a thorn in the side for only a handful of legislators. The reality is this change in leadership has proven to be completely unlike the 1997/1998 coup with which this move was compared. In that action African-American then Rep. Willie Logan was ousted and that ushered in a few years of black caucus cooperation with the House GOP majority. By contrast this change in leadership has done little to impact Democratic cohesion in the House. In fact, during this election cycle unlike in 1998 just about every House Democrat has been helpful to the party's overall efforts.

Irrespective of the pronouncements of doom earlier a few months ago across the political community in Florida, Democrats are in fact holding their own in State House races.  Based on my extensive statewide travels for the Sheldon Campaign and my interaction with the Democratic House candidates and campaign operations, I believe that Tuesday's election is likely to yield a Republican gain of 2 to 4 seats, not the 6 to 8 or even 8 to 10 that was projected by many pundits as recently as early last month. The Democrats impressive House campaign efforts have further solidified Pafford's position as a strong leader that can take a largely united caucus through choppy water in the coming sessions.

GOP ex-coke fiend Rouson pretends to be a Democrat

Towards the end of the 2014 session and over the summer rumors swirled that Rep. Rouson had attempted to make the August primary victory of John Cortes in a Kissimmee-based Democratic primary over Pafford backer Rep. Ricardo Rangel an issue within the caucus by aggressively courting sitting members, but this effort failed to muster any support.

This week, multiple sources connected with Democratic members of the House indicated to the Florida Squeeze that Rouson was actively seeking to open lines of communications with incoming [Republican] House Speaker Steve Crisafulli about either switching parties or working to create a faction of dissident Democrats that would collaborate with the GOP on floor actions where the House leadership need to clear 80 votes. Seemingly having failed to take full advantage of the opportunities to pick up a number of seats this election, the GOP leadership is wisely trying to exploit the bitterness of Rep. Rouson. Rouson who is term-limited in 2016 will not have to face reelection in his overwhelmingly Democratic House district.

Rep. Rouson's St Petersburg based district has a history of term-limited party switchers having seen Rep. Rudy Bradley, an African-American switched from Democrat to Republican in 1999, and quickly trotted out as a token presence by the RPOF across the state. But if Rouson were to either switch his registration or try and create a faction of House Democrats to collaborate with the GOP he might have trouble running for future office if that is in fact his long-term plan.

The group backing Rouson is minimal in numbers. From 23 supporters in Feberuary 2013, Rouson's hard support is now estimated to be in the middle single-digits at this point in time. Pafford's efforts to protect Democratic incumbents have been acknowledged privately by previously skeptical members who were previously part of Rouson's faction.

We will keep our readers posted on developments related to this important story.