Florida's District 20 race heats up as Black candidates seek to avoid split vote and defeat Debbie Wasserman Schultz

A major shakeup is brewing in the race for Florida's District 20.

CBS News Miami has learned that four Black candidates had a private meeting to discuss consolidating down to one or two candidates. They believe it would improve their chances of defeating Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the August primary.

"It was good to see that we could come together and have a cordial conversation," said Dale Holness, one of the candidates.

"It's a tough conversation, but the sense in the room that we should have someone with the lived experience of the majority of the people in that district was very, very strong," he added.

District 20 is one of Florida's few majority-Black districts and has been represented by Black lawmakers for the past 34 years. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick represented the district until she resigned amid a congressional ethics investigation. She is running again and confirmed she was part of the meeting.

"I don't think people understand that this is a national issue, how this really affects everyone," she said. "And all of us called to run at this moment have the responsibility to ensure that we can preserve the district," she added.

Elijah Manley is running, too.

"It makes it easier for her to win when the Black vote is split, but I think that the strongest candidate can build a coalition to win this race," he said.

Candidate Luther Campbell was out of town for a fundraiser and was not available for comment.

It is unclear exactly how the group of candidates would determine who should move forward. But they have about 10 days to make the decision. The deadline to file to run for the seat is Friday, June 12.

Wasserman Schultz has blamed Republican redistricting efforts to gain more GOP seats after her current district was overhauled by the state legislature. 

Her campaign told CBS News Miami she is traveling and was not immediately available for comment.