Today the Florida Democratic Party announced that political campaign veteran Joy Howell is starting this week as the new communications director for the party. Howell comes to the party after serving as communications director and senior strategist for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She has a long history in Democratic campaigns including as a communications director for the Gore/Lieberman Presidential Campaign and the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

More recently, Howell served as founder of a national consulting firm and has had senior strategy roles on dozens of US Senate, Congressional and issue-based campaigns in Florida and across the nation.

“Joy Howell is one of the most experienced communications professionals in the country, and we’re thrilled she is bringing her experience to our ramped-up, amped-up team to defeat Trump in 2020,” said Chair Terrie Rizzo. “Trump is an ineffective leader, who cares more about his twitter following than Florida families. His economy benefits only the well-to-do and well-connected, and he has used his platform to demean women, people of color, immigrants and Christians alike. With Joy’s help, the Florida Democratic Party will ensure that voters understand exactly who Trump is when they cast their ballots in November.”

“I’m excited to be joining the team that will defeat Trump in 2020. Florida is the largest battleground state and Trump cannot win the White House without winning the Sunshine State. Democrats will take back Florida because Trump has spent the better part of the last three years alienating every voting block he needs to win. Women, immigrants, farmers, people of faith and people of color have felt the pain of his policies and his rhetoric. I’m committed to defeating Trump because it’s time for the reckless Trump reality TV show to end,” Howell said.

Howell holds an MPA from Harvard and an MBA from the University of Redlands.

FDP has the largest state party in the country. With 94 paid employees (and growing), Florida Democrats are larger than Trump’s Florida operation and the Republican Party of Florida combined and equal to Barack Obama’s early staffing in the Sunshine State. With 39,000 volunteer shifts completed in 2019 (compared to just 3,000 in 2015), Democrats are more energized and organized than ever to defeat President Trump.