NEW YORK, USA — Dale Holness, the Jamaican-born businessman and former Broward County Commissioner, on Tuesday lost his bid in the Florida Democratic primary to represent that state’s 20th Congressional District in the United States Congress.

This marked the third failure by Holness to get elected to Congress.

Tuesday’s Democratic primary was won by Debbie Wasserman Shultz, the veteran Florida lawmaker, who entered the race in that district this year following a redistricting exercise done by the Republican Party at the urging of President Donald Trump in a bid to increase Republican representation in the US House of Representatives.

Wasserman Shultz polled 29,759 to Holness’s 14,985. There were four other black candidates in the race, including Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who previously represented the district.

Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress in April while facing ethics charges. She has also been indicted by a federal grand jury on fraud charges after being accused of misusing US$5 million in disaster funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and using part of the money to fund her previous campaign.

Debbie Wasserman Shultz, the veteran Florida lawmaker, had 45.6 per cent support in the 20th Congressional District’s Democratic primary on Tuesday. (Photo: AFP)

She has consistently denied the charges.

With her win in the predominantly black district — which is home to a significant number of Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals — Wasserman Shultz seems destined to return to Congress as the district has a history of voting heavily in favour of the Democrats.

It will also mark the first time, in more than three decades, that Florida’s 20th Congressional District will not be represented by a black candidate.

She faced intense criticism after she chose to run in the area, with many of her critics, especially in the black community, arguing that black representation in Congress would be diminished.

Several efforts by the black candidates to coalesce around one candidate were not successful as they were not able to agree on who should drop out.