Florida GOP lawmaker says Democrats should change name to 'hypocrats' amid push to 'cancel' the party

close

Video

One Florida lawmaker’s push to cancel The Democratic Party

Florida GOP state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia isn't giving up on his push to "cancel" the Sunshine State's Democratic Party over its past support of slavery.

Florida state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, isn't giving up on his push to "cancel" the Sunshine State's Democratic Party over its past support of slavery.

Earlier this month, Ingoglia filed the "Ultimate Cancel Act," a measure that would direct the Florida Division of Elections to "immediately cancel the filings of a political party, to include its registration and approved status as a political party, if the party’s platform has previously advocated for, or been in support of, slavery or involuntary servitude."

Speaking to Fox News Digital about the measure, Ingoglia said he's "looking to cancel the Democratic Party because of pro-slavery positions in the past, but they're doing a pretty good job of canceling themselves these days."

Ingoglia, who has represented the state's 11th District in the Florida Senate since 2022, announced last week that Democrat state Sen. Geraldine Thompson would be offering an amendment to the bill. The amendment, according to Florida Politics, would ban "any political party that has worked to suppress voting, thereby maintaining the last vestiges of slavery."

FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PROPOSES NEW BILL TO 'CANCEL' STATE'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia answers a question about one of his measures on Feb. 8, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)

"I wholeheartedly agree with Senator Thompson and I look forward to supporting this amendment in committee. As a matter of fact, I may even co-sponsor it," Ingoglia said of the amendment in a statement. "Under Democrat leadership, Florida instituted a poll tax in 1885 that would stay in place for over 50 years. The idea of poll taxes and literacy tests is abhorrent, and yet the Democrats have not only endorsed these ideas, they passed these laws and enforced these atrocities for decades. Another great reason the Florida Democrat Party should be canceled."

In taking aim at Ingoglia's proposed measure, Thompson said: "Voters did not send us to Tallahassee to engage in sophomoric games."

"I've watched leftist Democrats look to cancel people, places and things, tearing down monuments, changing names of buildings. But all of that was because of something that happened a couple hundred years ago, and a lot of it was tied to slavery," Ingoglia told Fox. "This bill is basically holding the Florida Democrat Party accountable, also, because it was Democrats who actually adopted pro-slavery positions in their actual party platforms."

The Democrat Party, the predominant political entity in Florida before 1990, advocated for slavery prior to 1865 and backed secession from the Union in 1861. It is the only party recognized by the Florida Division of Elections that would be impacted by this law.

FLORIDA LAWMAKER PUSHING STRICTER TERM-LIMITS TO FLUSH OUT ‘WOKE’ SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

The Florida Capitol, located in Tallahassee (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

"Cancel culture dictates – no matter what you do now or what you say now – you basically have to pay for the sins of the past. So, the sins of the past in this instance is a Democrat Party that actually adopted pro-slavery positions in their party platform," Ingoglia added.

As for how the measure would work, should it pass, Ingoglia said the Democrat Party in the Sunshine State would be decertified, and voter affiliations would be altered.

"How this would work is if, in this instance, the Democrat Party would be decertified, all of the members of the Democrat Party would automatically change to NPAs or nonparty affiliated voters," Ingoglia explained. "They would still be able to vote and the Democrat Party… or what would be what was once the Democrat Party could go out and contact them and have them join the new party. They would have to change their name, but that would basically be the process."

Because they've been "hypocritical on this issue," Ingoglia said he believes the new party's name should be "the hypocrats."

"I think the Democrat Party of today doesn't know what they stand for," he said. "They are basically anti parents. They pretty much canceled themselves with open borders and everything that's associated with the Democrat Party today are really the problems with the country as a whole."

Nikki Fried, who was elected as chair of the Florida Democratic Party in February, has criticized Ingoglia's measure as being "what a dictator does." (Steven Lemongello/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Ingoglia's measure has faced immense scrutiny from Florida Democrats, including the state's newly elected party chair Nikki Fried, who failed to clinch her party's nomination for governor of the state last year.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"This is what a dictator does," Fried said earlier this month during a conference call with reporters, according to Orlando Weekly. "A dictator goes after those who oppose his policies, those who stand in his way of ultimate power."

To watch the full interview with Ingoglia, click here.

Fox News' Matteo Cina contributed to this article.