Donna Shalala, a former Bill Clinton Cabinet member, University of Miami president and head of the Clinton Foundation, who is the front-runner to be Democratic candidate in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, has drawn fire from Democrats because of past donations to Republicans. | Lynne Sladky/AP Photo Democrats gang up on ex-Clinton Foundation head Shalala

What might have been a smooth ride to Congress for Donna Shalala is instead turning into a demolition derby.

In an open congressional seat in Florida that represents one of the Democratic Party’s best pickup chances in the nation, fellow Democrats are bashing the former Clinton administration Cabinet secretary, accusing her of collaborating with the enemy by contributing to Republican candidates.


Two of Shalala’s seven primary opponents joined together Thursday to criticize her for personally contributing $21,500 to Florida Republicans running for state, local and federal offices over the past decade — including GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who held the seat before announcing her retirement this year.

“It was so jarring and so disappointing to see the newest candidate in the Democratic primary, Donna Shalala, has donated to the Republican incumbent last cycle, has donated in the past to the current Republican running for congress in this very congressional seat, has donated over $20,000 to anti-choice, anti-LGBT, pro-NRA, Republican politicians, and has donated $20,000 to a corporate PAC that has given $125,000 to the NRCC — an organization whose sole goal is to keep a Republican majority, and Paul Ryan as speaker,” retired Circuit Judge Mary Barzee Flores and state Rep. David Richardson said in a joint statement from which each read consecutive passages during a conference call with reporters.

Richardson and Barzee Flores pointed out that the PAC for the Shalala-affiliated company MEDNAX gave $4,875 to Sen. Marco Rubio in 2016. Also, Shalala had personally contributed $500 in 2009 to Rubio’s friend, scandal-plagued former Rep. David Rivera, when he was in the state House, as well as another $500 in 2011 to former state Sen. Frank Artiles, who in 2017 resigned his seat after using racially charged language.

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The two Democrats demanded that Shalala explain the donations to Republican and apologize to the Democrats who faced the Republican challengers to whom Shalala contributed, and said she needed to contribute an equivalent amount — about $41,000, including the PAC money — to the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.

Shalala’s campaign said the PAC donations were bipartisan and that she makes no apologies for her contributions to Republicans, which are dwarfed by her Democratic giving.

“Donna Shalala’s Democratic credentials are untouchable & unassailable,” the campaign said in a written statement. “The idea that one of the most iconic and celebrated members of the Democratic Party, who for decades has personally donated A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS to the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates, who not only gave tens of thousands of dollars to EMILY’s List but is a founding member of the organization, a woman whose political contributions have gone to Democratic party candidates and causes at a rate of over 90% is somehow not enough of a Democrat, is simply absurd.”

Separately, another Democratic candidate, Miami Beach City Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez, took a shot at Shalala by releasing a jokey video on Twitter last week that criticized her as “Donna Walmarta” for selling a parcel of environmentally sensitive University of Miami land to developers who plan to build a Walmart.

The multi-directional incoming fire underscores Shalala’s front-runner status in Florida’s 27th Congressional District. Independently wealthy, Shalala has earned decades worth of name ID and Democratic chits as Bill Clinton’s Health and Human Services secretary, president of the University of Miami and executive director of the Clinton Foundation.

No other Republican-held congressional seat in the nation voted for Hillary Clinton by such a wide margin over President Trump, 19.6 percentage points.

Richardson and Barzee Flores aren’t the only Democrats aggrieved over Shalala’s past contributions. After Shalala’s campaign reached out to Scott Fuhrman — who ran unsuccessfully against Ros-Lehtinen — for a contribution, he declined with the expletive acronym, “GFY.” His issue: Shalala failed to contribute to him after donating to Ros-Lehtinen in 2016.

Fuhrman then contacted two of his former consultants, Ben Pollara and Eric Johnson, who now work for Barzee Flores and Richardson, respectively. They got to work ganging up on Shalala.

Shalala’s campaign said she’s staying positive and began an earlier-than-usual ad buy this week to emphasize her experience.

When asked by a reporter whether they ever contributed to Republicans, Richardson — the first openly gay state House member — said he recalled giving $250 to an LGBT Massachusetts Republican whose name he couldn’t remember. Barzee Flores said she couldn’t remember any, but state records show she gave $100 to Republican attorney general candidate Lock Burte in 2001.

“I can tell you one thing for sure,” Barzee Flores said, “I’m not going to be making campaign contributions to the likes of David Rivera and Frank Artiles.”



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