‘I’m withdrawing my name’: Filmmaker Billy Corben leaves race for Miami-Dade Dems chair

Billy Corben, the film director and a frequent critic of Miami City Hall, dropped out of the race for Miami-Dade Democratic Party chairman on Wednesday at the tail end of a nearly hour-long forum in which several candidates laid out their vision for the flagging county party.

The forum, which was held via video conference and closed to both the public and the press, pit Corben against three other hopefuls: state Sen. Shevrin Jones, Biscayne Gardens Chamber of Commerce President Bernard Jennings and Miami-Dade College Democrats President Manuel Fernandez.

Throughout the forum, Corben and the others put forth their visions for how best to rehabilitate the Miami-Dade Democratic Party after its former chairman Robert Dempster was removed by Florida Democratic leaders late last month.

READ MORE: Florida Democrats remove the Miami-Dade party chair, and one other, after suspensions

After debating for nearly an hour, Corben said in his closing remarks that he was no longer interested in running in a race that was stacked against him. He noted that the Miami-Dade Democratic Party’s acting Chairwoman Laura Wagner had already come out in support of Jones.

“This meeting is being presided over by an acting chair that has endorsed one of the candidates,” Corben said. “I’m withdrawing my name from contention.”

Corben’s withdrawal from the race capped off a chaotic six days that involved allegations of anti-semitism and claims of favoritism. In an interview shortly after he withdrew from the chairman race, Corben said that he believed that staying in the running would be “an incredible step backwards”

Jones, a rising star in Florida Democratic politics and prospective candidate for governor in 2026, announced his candidacy for the Miami-Dade Democratic chairman position last week. His announcement drew the support of high-profile Democrats like Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson.

A few days later, Corben, who’s best known for his documentaries including “Cocaine Cowboys,” threw his name into the running, arguing that the Miami-Dade Democratic Party was in desperate need of an overhaul and needed a genuine debate about its future.

“This should be a conversation at the bare minimum,” Corben told the Miami Herald last week. “Competition is good for the marketplace, particularly the marketplace of ideas.”

Corben said that he wanted to prevent a “coronation” of Jones as the Miami-Dade Democratic chairman, and argued that the county party needed to suffer short-term losses in order to mount long-term victories.

‘We don’t have a lot of time’

But the race for Miami-Dade Democratic Party chairman was also riddled with controversy. Corben sought to organize an in-person candidate forum for the job, featuring former chairs, including Dempster. That proposal was shot down.

Eventually, party officials called a virtual forum, hosted by Florida International University Professor Eduardo Gamarra. The chairman election itself is set for Friday evening. That timing irked some Miami Democrats, because it aligns with a Jewish high holiday.

The forum itself drew some backlash; it was closed off to both members of the public and the media. A source allowed the Herald to listen in on Wednesday night’s meeting.

The event, which was held via Zoom, did not grow heated, with each candidate laying out plans for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, which has been consumed by infighting and disappointing electoral losses in recent years. Jones said he would prioritize fundraising and voter registration, and repeatedly stressed that Democrats were quickly running out of time to turn things around ahead of the November elections.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Jones said. “We can work with what we have to make sure we push this ball.”