Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) missed the last 43 House votes and hasn't been seen for a month — that's maybe not the most disturbing part of the story.
The eight-term incumbent is probably best known for her collection of hats — usually sparkly ones — is 83 years old, and so it's natural to fear the worst. Wilson's last recorded House vote was on April 17, and House reporter Jaime Dupree noted on BlueSky Wednesday that she "missed all 10 votes on Wednesday in the House," bringing the total to 43 consecutive missed votes over the last four weeks.
A congresscritter disappearing is bad enough, but when her staff appears to be involved in some kind of coverup, it's arguably even worse.
The closest Wilson has come to a public appearance in weeks was a prepared statement last week responding to the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, calling it "a setback for voting rights and fair representation."
If my 15-year-old were at a concert and I texted him to send a proof-of-life selfie, and all I got was a prepared statement, I'd have to saddle up and go find him.
Yet a prepared statement — and some social media tomfoolery — is all anyone has gotten from Wilson.
"Wilson’s X account this week sent out photos of a Service Academy day – but pictures from the same event were posted last October," Dupree posted.
Take a look:
A quick scroll through Wilson's X timeline shows absolutely zero change since she stopped showing up for work four weeks ago. Her X account has never been fun or exciting — she's no tech-savvy Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) or Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), who post frequently and appear to have tons of fun engaging with constituents, reporters, and internet randos.
It's obvious that somebody on Wilson's staff has the boring job of posting two or three DNC-approved items each day, and that's that.
But when the congresswoman in question goes missing in action for a month, and that somebody on Wilson's staff just keeps going as though nothing were wrong, well, that's disturbing. When they also photo from last year as though it's new, that's when the paranoia kicks in.
My attempts to reach her office via phone and email received no response. Whatever happened, it looks like Wilson's staff are in lockdown mode.
I checked out Florida's new House districts under the map just signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, and her District 24 seat remains safely majority-minority Democrat. Wilson faces a primary challenger in the Democratic primary, but Christine Alexandria Sanon-Jules isn't considered much of a threat.
If Wilson is in bad health, maybe the radio silence is meant to keep the Sanon-Jules at bay until after the August 18 primary vote.
If that's the case, however, what's the plan — or even just the hope — going forward from the primary?
Speaking frankly, if Wilson is suffering some sort of health issue, someone of her age going missing for a month doesn't bode well for a recovery to full health.
Florida 24 voters deserve to know if their 83-year-old, eight-term representative is capable of carrying on until she's 85 before her ninth term ends.
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