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Daisy Morales

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daisy Morales
Representative Morales in 2022
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 48th district
In office
November 4, 2020 – November 8, 2022
Preceded byAmy Mercado
Succeeded byRita Harris
Supervisor of the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation
In office
November 3, 2014 – November 3, 2020
Preceded bySean McQuade
Succeeded byKarolyn Campbell
Personal details
Born (1960-12-10) December 10, 1960 (age 65)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
PartyRepublican Party (1991 - 2010) | Democratic Party (2010 - present)
EducationPuerto Rico Junior College (AS)

Daisy Morales (born December 10, 1960) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives of district 48, serving Orange County from 2020-2022. In 2022, Democratic voters replaced Daisy Morales after Democratic leaders and organizations coalesced behind her challenger, raising concerns about Morales' record on reproductive freedom, gun safety, environmental protections, COVID public health measures, and her support for legislation that became known as the "Stop WOKE Act".[1]

She has previously served on the Orange County board as a supervisor of the Soil and Water Conservation, where she missed nearly a year of meetings, contributing to the board's inability to conduct business.[2]

The Orlando Sentinel editorial Board once called Morales, an "empty suit" [3]

Personal life

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Morales was born on December 10, 1960, in The Bronx, New York,[4] in a family of Puerto Rican descent.[5] It was reported that Morales was diagnosed with vitiligo in 2001.[6]

Morales graduated with an Associates Degree in criminology and administration from Puerto Rico Junior College.[4]

In 2014, she successfully ran for supervisor of Orange Soil and Water Conservation.[citation needed]. Morales missed nearly a year of meetings on the Orange County Soil & Water Conservation Board, contributing to the board's inability to conduct business and prompting discussions about removing her from office for neglect of duty.[2]

Florida House of Representatives

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Morales was elected to the Florida House in 2020, succeeding Democratic representative Amy Mercado, after defeating Republican opponent Jesus Martinez for district 48 with 65.3% of the vote.[7][8]

In 2022, Morales was redistricted into district 43 but chose to run in neighboring District 44. There, she lost the Democratic primary 54-46 against Rita Harris.[9]

Due to redistricting she was no longer the incumbent. Daisy Morales lost her 2022 reelection bid after much of the Democratic establishment rallied behind her challenger, citing concerns about her reliability and positions on key Democratic issues including abortion rights, gun violence prevention, environmental protection, public health, and support for diversity and inclusion initiatives.[1]

She ran against Harris again in 2024, and lost by 30 points, 65-35.[10]

Controversial Issue Positions

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As a state representative, Daisy Morales repeatedly found herself at odds with core Democratic priorities. She voted for legislation prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine mandates during the pandemic (HB 1B, 2021 Special Session), was an original co-sponsor of the legislation that became known as the "Stop WOKE Act" (HB 57, 2021), supported bills rolling back local clean-energy authority and weakening environmental protections (HB 919, 2021; SB 2508, 2022), and used anti-abortion language focused on promoting a "culture of life" rather than supporting abortion access after the Dobbs decision.[11]

Adversarial Relationship with the Orlando Sentinel

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Daisy Morales developed a controversial relationship with the Orlando Sentinel during her time in office. Rather than answering questions about her record, Morales skipped editorial board interviews and declined requests for interviews from Sentinel reporters.[12] After receiving unfavorable coverage during her 2020 campaign, she issued a public statement demanding that an Orlando Sentinel reporter and multiple editorial staff members be fired.[13] The newspaper's editorial board sharply criticized her approach, arguing that public officials should answer questions and engage with voters rather than attack the press. The Orlando Sentinel editorial board called Morales, an "empty suit" and the "worst candidate possible."[3]

Electoral history

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Florida House of Representatives, district 48

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2020 general election, district 48[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Daisy Morales 47,341 65.3% −8.1
Republican Jesus Martínez 25,197 34.7% +8.1
Total votes 72,538 100.0% N/A
Democratic hold

Florida House of Representatives, District 44

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2022 primary elections, District 44[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rita Harris 8,348 54.2
Democratic Daisy Morales 7,053 45.8
Total votes 15,401 100
2024 primary elections, district 44[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rita Harris (incumbent) 7,335 65.0
Democratic Daisy Morales 3,949 35.0
Total votes 11,284 100

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 https://floridapolitics.com/archives/550452-rita-harris-wins-hd-44-seat-from-fellow-democrat-daisy-morales/
  2. 1 2 https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2020/01/16/soil-and-water-board-weighs-action-after-2-members-havent-shown-since-march-1-resigned-the-other-may-be-ousted/
  3. 1 2 https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2020/09/25/endorsement-republican-jess-martnez-in-district-48-state-house-democrats-picked-the-worst-possible-candidate/
  4. 1 2 "Daisy Morales". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  5. ↑ "About – Florida House District 48 Nominee". Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  6. ↑ Prieur, Danielle (June 23, 2021). "State Rep. Daisy Morales Wants a Cure and Better Treatment for Vitiligo, But She Also Wants Greater Compassion For People With the Skin Condition". 90.7 WMFE. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  7. ↑ Young, Jessica Bryce. "Election 2020: Democrat Daisy Morales wins Florida House District 48". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved December 6, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  8. ↑ Hudak, Stephen. "Daisy Morales and Jesus Martinez compete for House District 48 in south Orange". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  9. ↑ Powers, Scott (August 23, 2022). "Rita Harris wins HD 44 seat from fellow Democrat Daisy Morales". Florida Politics. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ https://www.clickorlando.com/results-2024/2024/08/13/results-2024-meet-the-candidates-for-florida-house-district-44/
  11. ↑ Powers, Scott (August 24, 2022). "Rita Harris wins HD 44 seat from fellow Democrat Daisy Morales". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2020/12/08/florida-candidates-increasingly-skip-debates-forums-a-tactic-for-the-cowardly-and-unprepared-that-sometimes-works-commentary/
  13. ↑ https://daisyforflorida.com/state-house-nominee-daisy-morales-calls-for-orlando-sentinel-staff-firing-for-false-reporting/
  14. ↑ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Retrieved April 30, 2023.
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