Recent from talks
Nikki Fried
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Nikki Fried
Nicole Heather "Nikki" Fried (/friːd/ FREED; born December 13, 1977) is an American politician, lawyer, and lobbyist serving as the chair of the Florida Democratic Party since 2023. Before she was elected chair, she served as the 12th Florida commissioner of agriculture from 2019 to 2023. As of 2025, she is the last Democrat to have held or won statewide office in Florida.
Fried graduated from the University of Florida in 2003 and went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the Levin College of Law. She practiced various forms of law, including corporate law, foreclosure defense, and public defense. She later worked as a lobbyist for the marijuana industry.
In 2018, Fried narrowly defeated state representative Matt Caldwell by a margin of 0.08%, in the Florida commissioner of agriculture election. She is the first woman to be elected to the position and was the only Democrat to win a statewide race in the 2018 Florida elections. During her tenure, she redesigned gas pump stickers, promoted a Florida gun law bill, partook in Florida v. Georgia over waters within the ACF River Basin, and appointed two lobbyists for the Florida Sugar Cane League.[clarification needed]
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 and instead ran in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, losing the primary to Charlie Crist.
Nicole Heather Fried was born December 13, 1977, in Miami, Florida, to Jewish parents Ronald, an attorney, and Lori, a stay-at-home mother. Her parents divorced when she was 13, leaving Fried and her younger sister to be raised primarily by their mother, who became a preschool teacher after the divorce. Fried graduated from Miami Palmetto High School.
Fried graduated from the University of Florida, where she was student body president and a member of Florida Blue Key, receiving her bachelor's degree in political science and her master's degree in political campaigning. In 2003, she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida.
After graduating, Fried worked at the law firm of Holland & Knight in Jacksonville, alongside Ashley Moody, a friend of Fried from the University of Florida who would later serve alongside her as the Florida Attorney General. Unhappy working as a corporate lawyer, Fried left Holland & Knight in 2006 and became a public defender for Florida's 8th circuit court, which covers much of North Central Florida, including Alachua County.
Fried was a foreclosure defense lawyer from 2009 until 2011, when she joined the law and lobbying firm of Colodny Fass. Among her major clients as a lobbyist were the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, the Walt Disney Company, Duke Energy, and HCA Healthcare.
Hub AI
Nikki Fried AI simulator
(@Nikki Fried_simulator)
Nikki Fried
Nicole Heather "Nikki" Fried (/friːd/ FREED; born December 13, 1977) is an American politician, lawyer, and lobbyist serving as the chair of the Florida Democratic Party since 2023. Before she was elected chair, she served as the 12th Florida commissioner of agriculture from 2019 to 2023. As of 2025, she is the last Democrat to have held or won statewide office in Florida.
Fried graduated from the University of Florida in 2003 and went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the Levin College of Law. She practiced various forms of law, including corporate law, foreclosure defense, and public defense. She later worked as a lobbyist for the marijuana industry.
In 2018, Fried narrowly defeated state representative Matt Caldwell by a margin of 0.08%, in the Florida commissioner of agriculture election. She is the first woman to be elected to the position and was the only Democrat to win a statewide race in the 2018 Florida elections. During her tenure, she redesigned gas pump stickers, promoted a Florida gun law bill, partook in Florida v. Georgia over waters within the ACF River Basin, and appointed two lobbyists for the Florida Sugar Cane League.[clarification needed]
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 and instead ran in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, losing the primary to Charlie Crist.
Nicole Heather Fried was born December 13, 1977, in Miami, Florida, to Jewish parents Ronald, an attorney, and Lori, a stay-at-home mother. Her parents divorced when she was 13, leaving Fried and her younger sister to be raised primarily by their mother, who became a preschool teacher after the divorce. Fried graduated from Miami Palmetto High School.
Fried graduated from the University of Florida, where she was student body president and a member of Florida Blue Key, receiving her bachelor's degree in political science and her master's degree in political campaigning. In 2003, she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida.
After graduating, Fried worked at the law firm of Holland & Knight in Jacksonville, alongside Ashley Moody, a friend of Fried from the University of Florida who would later serve alongside her as the Florida Attorney General. Unhappy working as a corporate lawyer, Fried left Holland & Knight in 2006 and became a public defender for Florida's 8th circuit court, which covers much of North Central Florida, including Alachua County.
Fried was a foreclosure defense lawyer from 2009 until 2011, when she joined the law and lobbying firm of Colodny Fass. Among her major clients as a lobbyist were the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, the Walt Disney Company, Duke Energy, and HCA Healthcare.
Recent media