Florida Democrats Looking At Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill to Run Against Sen. Rick Scott in 2024

Florida Democrats are hoping to get former NBA players Dwyane Wade or Grant Hill to run against Sen. Rick Scott in the 2024 election.

Sources confirm Democratic donors have made separate efforts to persuade Wade and Hill to consider a run for state politics, NBC News reports. Party leaders and donors believe it’ll take a strong candidate (with possibly a little bit of star power) to reverse the dominance Republicans tend to have in Florida.

But considering Wade’s recent revelation on why he decided to move his family out of Florida due to the swift passing of strict anti-LGBTQ laws. Democrats know it’s a long shot before they convince the Miami Heat legend to come back and run for office.

“Grant Hill has great name ID. He would raise a boatload of money and is one of the smartest guys you will ever meet,” John Morgan, an Orlando-based trial attorney and national Democratic donor said.

“Grant Hill would beat the s— out of Rick Scott.”

Morgan has spoken directly with Hill about his desire for him to run and has insight on how unlikely it is for the NBA hall of famer to enter into politics. He brought up the idea of Hill’s running for the Senate over dinner Sunday night with a few Democrat powerhouses due to concern of there being only a few Florida Democrats who could challenge Scott and help the party regain its footing.

“That’s what Larry (Grisolano) and I talked about—Grant Hill,” Morgan said. “I’m not sure it’s his time, but he would be great.”

“He’s competitive. I think he sees LeBron James as a billionaire and Magic Johnson almost a billionaire, and it gets his competitive juices flowing. I am not sure he is done with business.”

The considerations come one week after Wade explained why he and his wife, Gabrielle Union, decided to relocate from Florida to California due to concerns for the safety of their 15-year-old daughter Zaya Wade, who is transgender.

“The last couple of years, the laws, the politics, you know, has really become this big conversation, right? It’s unsafe conversation, and it’s unsafe for my daughter, it’s unsafe for the young kids and the youth and adults, the elder in the trans community,” Wade told Variety at the 2023 Met Gala.

“And so for us, as much as I love that city, as much as I’m always going to be a part of it, for the safety of my family, that’s what it was. I couldn’t move back.”