U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was sworn in as the first Black woman to represent the predominantly Democratic 20th District in Florida on Tuesday, but her Republican opponent she defeated by a landslide the week before, still has not conceded the race.
Cherfilus-McCormick won the special election for the 20th District on Jan. 11, securing 78.7 percent of the vote over Jason Mariner’s 19.6 percent. However, Mariner won’t concede the election and has filed a lawsuit alleging ballot issues.
Mariner pointed to media bias in election coverage the day after his defeat.
“People are supposed to have a fair shake at choosing governance,” Mariner told reporters in a video posted on his campaign Facebook page. “That didn’t get that in this race because the media was so slanted and biased.”
Cherfilus-McCormick fills the seat left vacant by the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, who had held the seat since 2013. Hastings died of pancreatic cancer in April. Cherfilus-McCormick will serve the rest of Hastings’ term for the district that cover parts of Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
Despite losing the election, Mariner posted a video the following day with a trio of Black voters vocalizing their support for him.
“I’ve just begun to fight. Rock-N-Roll, America,” Mariner wrote in the caption.
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