Nikki Fried

Nicole Heather Fried was born December 13, 1977, in Miami, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2003. Fried has served as the chair of the Florida Democratic Party since 2023. She was the only Democrat to win a statewide race in the 2018 Florida elections. Fried ran on a platform in favor of removing obstacles to medical marijuana in Florida. Her main clients were the School Board of Broward County and the statewide medical marijuana industry, which had recently blossomed following the passage of Florida Amendment 2, which legalized medical marijuana. Fried was selected as one of 17 speakers to jointly deliver the keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She did not seek re-election in 2022, instead running in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election. Fried's campaign bank account was closed on August 29, 2018, on the grounds of her ties with medical marijuana, and she transferred the $137,000 in the account to a new bank account with BB&T. She is the daughter of Ronald and Lori Fried, an attorney and stay-at-home mother, who divorced when she was 13, leaving Fried and her younger sister to be raised by their mother.