Brown insisted that was the case, without providing specific statistics, and the following is a transcript of her responses to repeated questions from POLITICO Florida and the News Service of Florida about her claims.
QUESTION: “The statistics don’t show that [an African-American would not win the district].”
BROWN: “Yes it does.”
QUESTION: “Let me read these statistics. … These were run by two analysts: The African-American share of the 2012 and 2014 Democratic Primary was 63 percent. The primary. That’s the voters in the primary: 63 percent. The African-American share of the 2014 general election is 42 percent and the general election in 2012 was 46 percent. That is a minority-access seat by definition. That’s just African-Americans in that newly drawn District 5. How can you say it’s not a minority access seat?”
BROWN: “Because of the number of people that’s in that district—”
QUESTION: “These are voters. Those statistics are voters. That has nothing to do with prisons.”
BROWN: “Excuse me. Because of the number of voters in that district and the history in that district. And let’s be clear.”
QUESTION: “These are black voters we’re talking about. This is a minority-access seat according to the voting percentages. How can you say it’s not a minority-access seat?”
BROWN: “Listen. I say it’s not.”
QUESTION: “Based on what?”
BROWN: “I say it’s a nonperforming district.”
QUESTION: “I understand that if you say something you think it’s true. What’s your statistics? What are your numbers?
BROWN: “The point is — I’m not giving you the numbers.”
QUESTION: “Because you don’t have them.”
BROWN: “Excuse me, who are you?”
QUESTION: “Marc Caputo, with POLITICO.”
BROWN: “OK. Let me explain something to you, we will get you—”
QUESTION: “Why don’t you explain to me what the statistics are since you’ve cited them up there [while testifying in committee] but you don’t have them?”
BROWN: “Listen, I’ll tell you what. I will be in court, with the case in court. And that’s where we’ll deal with this. Because the fact of the matter is, based on how the Florida Supreme Court drew the district, it disenfranchised the people that live in the Fifth Congressional District.”
NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: “Barack Obama carried that district by more than 20 points. How can you say it won’t elect a Democrat?”
BROWN: “It won’t elect an African-American one. And it won’t elect a Democrat.”
NEWS SERVICE: “But Barack Obama carried it by 20 points.”
BROWN: “Well, we’ll see.”