Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz survived a challenge from Tim Canova in her Democratic primary. | Getty Wasserman Schultz survives spirited primary

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz won her Democratic primary Tuesday in South Florida, outlasting a challenger who raised more than $3.3 million, much of it from Bernie Sanders supporters seeking to defeat the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman.

Wasserman Schultz, a six-term congresswoman, took 57 percent of the vote to law professor Tim Canova's 43 percent — an unusually low margin for a member of Congress, but one that came after a bitter and extraordinary national fight between Wasserman Schultz and supporters of Sanders' insurgent progressive presidential bid.


Canova became the most famous primary challenger in the country after Sanders sent out fundraising emails on his behalf earlier this year, thrusting him into the spotlight and fueling his primary bid. Even before that, Canova capitalized on national antipathy toward Wasserman Schultz, whom many progressives believed was unfairly tilting the Democratic presidential primary toward Clinton.

But Canova was unable to overcome Wasserman Schultz's standing back home, where she has been a fixture of Democratic politics for nearly a quarter-century, in a district Hillary Clinton won overwhelmingly in the presidential primary.

“There’s no one tougher than Debbie Wasserman Schultz,” said Allison Tant, the Florida Democratic Party chairwoman. “No matter what is thrown her way, Debbie gets back up and keeps fighting. She’s been a lifelong champion of our party’s progressive values and I congratulate her on tonight’s victory.”

“Losing sucks. But we came a long way in a short period of time,” tweeted Mike Nellis, who served as Canova’s digital fundraising manager.

Sanders, who endorsed Canova in late May and said he would probably campaign with him, ultimately did not show up in person for the race.

When asked about Sanders’ absence on the trail, Canova “bristled” and said, “No comment,” The Miami Herald reported.

Canova, who cited trade and campaign finance reform as his major issues, cast himself as a Sanders- and Elizabeth Warren-style progressive. Like Sanders on the national stage, he also took on the state’s Democratic Party, getting into a spat over access to voter data. The state party eventually backed down, but Canova used the episode to rile up supporters and raise more money.

“We sent out emails to our donors [about the issue] and we posted about it online and social media,” Canova told POLITICO in May. “In one day, we raised $18,000. It was a good day for us. … But then they did back down. They were feeling the heat.”

Wasserman Schultz had her own reinforcements, including endorsements from President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and Civil Rights icon Georgia Rep. John Lewis. Biden headlined a fundraiser for Wasserman Schultz in Miami in early June. The super PAC Patriot Majority PAC also spent $640,000 to back her.

In July, top Sanders media and political strategists joined Canova’s campaign team, but they departed days later.

Sanders, who recently launched a new political organization to promote progressives, has endorsed a handful of other congressional candidates this year with mixed results. Zephyr Teachout won her New York primary and Pramila Jayapal finished first in her top-two Washington race, while Nevada's Lucy Flores and New York's Eric Kingson fell in open-seat races.

The Campaign Pro Race Dashboard tracks the candidates and consulting firms engaged in the top House, Senate, and gubernatorial races of 2016.