Rep. Frederica Wilson, the longtime Florida Democrat famous for her glittering cowboy hats and fiery attacks on President Donald Trump, is officially calling it quits.
Wilson, 83, announced Friday that she will not seek reelection, ending a congressional career that began in 2011 and closing the curtain on one of South Florida’s most recognizable liberal voices.
The announcement came just days after Wilson forcefully denied reports that she was preparing to retire, dismissing the claim as a “crazy crazy rumor.”
“I’m almost distraught. It’s not true. I am still planning on running,” Wilson reportedly told Axios at the time.
But now, the rumor has turned out to be reality.
Wilson represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District, a heavily Democratic seat covering parts of northern Miami-Dade County and southeastern Broward County. While the district has long been considered safe blue territory, Wilson admitted she was concerned about what could happen politically once she stepped aside.
“I figured if I announced that I was retiring, what would the Legislature and the governor do?” Wilson told the Miami Herald. “Would District 24 be an easy target because Frederica is no longer there?”
Wilson said she stayed in office partly because of her concern for the 5000 Role Models program, a mentorship initiative she created more than three decades ago for minority boys.
“I think it’s time,” she said.
Her retirement comes after a prolonged absence from Capitol Hill that raised questions about her health and political future. Wilson had been away recovering from left eye surgery, but her absence included more than 40 missed votes, something Republican critics quickly highlighted.
She returned to Washington on May 21 to vote, but speculation over her future only intensified.
Wilson has been one of Trump’s fiercest Democratic critics, frequently clashing with him during both of his administrations. One of her most infamous battles with Trump came in 2017 after Army Sgt. La David Johnson of Miami was killed in an ambush in Niger.
Wilson claimed she was in the car with Johnson’s widow when Trump called to offer condolences and alleged the president said Johnson “knew what he signed up for.” Trump and his aides denied her version of the call.
The feud exploded when then-White House chief of staff John Kelly publicly defended Trump and accused Wilson of politicizing solemn moments for personal attention.
Wilson and her supporters later demanded an apology from Kelly, arguing he had misrepresented her past comments.
Now, with Wilson stepping aside, attention is already turning to who may try to replace her. Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert have reportedly been considering runs if Wilson retired.
For Democrats, Wilson’s exit marks the end of an era in South Florida politics. For Republicans, it may be another sign that even longtime Democratic strongholds are entering a more uncertain political season in the Trump era.
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if only a few more of these old giesers would retire we could actually elect some younger people to these positions instead of these old hanger ones who are just in it to get wealthy what other job can you go into broke and in a couple of years you come out a multi millionare
15 years of waste.