Bakari Sellers is an attorney, author and political commentator based in Columbia, South Carolina. He held office in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014 and is a CNN political commentator and attorney with Strom Law Firm. Sellers graduated from Morehouse College and the University of South Carolina School of Law. His books include My Vanishing Country and The Moment, and he co-hosts Native Land Pod with Angela Rye.
Case
Angie Nixon, Florida's Democratic Senate nominee, says national Democrats are reluctant to fund her because of her politics and her race and gender. The DSCC says it monitors all races and that more investment needs more resources. FEC filings are incomplete.
Role at the time: CNN political commentator and co-host of Native Land Pod
Response to this claim
Bakari Sellers said on CNN on August 19, 2026 that Democrats will not be wasting money in Florida now because it is a Senate seat Democrats were not going to win, and that the money will go instead to states such as North Carolina, Ohio and possibly Iowa.
“Florida is not a state that is a primary target if we're going to take the United States Senate back.”
Sellers disputes the reading of his remarks as a judgment on Nixon and restates the competitiveness reason: Florida is not a primary target whoever the nominee is. He does not address whether Nixon's ideology or identity affect funding decisions. We labeled it Challenges the characterization because it disputes how his earlier statement was characterized and attributes the limit to Florida's standing as a target.
Role at the time: CNN political commentator and former South Carolina state representative, speaking as a panelist; not a DSCC official
Response to this claim
Bakari Sellers said on CNN on August 19, 2026 that Democrats will not be wasting money in Florida now because it is a Senate seat Democrats were not going to win, and that the money will go instead to states such as North Carolina, Ohio and possibly Iowa.
“We won't be wasting money in Florida now. We were going to be spending tons of money on a Senate seat that we were not going to win in Vindman instead of spending money in North Carolina and Ohio and maybe even Iowa, Senate seats we can win and now you're going to see that money not go to Florida.”
Sellers gives winnability as the reason, saying Florida was not a seat Democrats could win even with Vindman, and he welcomes the money going elsewhere. That is a reason other than Nixon's ideology or identity, and it argues the allocation is justified, so we labeled it Defends or excuses. He describes what he expects Democrats to do and does not cite a DSCC decision.
Statement dates: August 19, 2026 to September 3, 2026
Statement dates: August 19, 2026 to September 3, 2026
Statement dates: August 19, 2026 to September 3, 2026
