After quitting her national Democratic Party leadership role amid furor over thousands of leaked emails, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz now faces the political battle of her lifetime back home in South Florida. 
 
 Wasserman Schultz resigned as Democratic National Committee chairwoman Sunday, strengthening the hand of her primary opponent, Tim Canova — who saw a huge fundraising boost and national media attention following her decision. 
 
 While the Weston congresswoman spent Monday morning getting heckled by protesters in Philadelphia at her first public appearance since her resignation, Canova was in the district giving interviews to local TV stations, Univision and The Daily Beast — and meeting with constituents. 
 
 “I have not left the district in eight months,” Canova told the Miami Herald on Sunday. “That’s not going to change between now and Aug. 30. I don’t think there’s going to be a great need for me to go up to Philly and chase the spotlight. We’re making friends on the ground every day.” 
 
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 On Friday, the website Wikileaks published more than 19,000 DNC emails, some of them showing the party favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. It also showed that DNC staffers who were not working on Wasserman Schultz’s campaign were closely monitoring media coverage and campaign appearances of Canova, a first-time candidate and Nova Southeastern University professor. 
 
 Canova’s campaign is “seriously considering” filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, campaign manager Richard Bell said. 
 
 The emails show that the DNC tracked Canova’s news play and speaking engagements, including what is referred to as an “Alaska Counter Event” in the emails. Canova, as well as Sanders’ wife, Jane, were scheduled to speak via Skype to Alaska Democrats on the same evening that Wasserman Schultz was going to speak to an Alaska Democratic event. 
 
 “This is all the FB post has so we need the state party to do some digging,” DNC communications director Luis Miranda wrote in one email. 
 
 We’re making friends on the ground every day. Tim Canova, Democratic candidate for Congress 
 
 Even before Wasserman Schultz’s tenure as chairwoman came to its disastrous end, Canova drew national attention for his prolific fundraising, clever campaign tactics and endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders. 
 
 Canova launched his campaign in January and has cultivated a broad following by echoing many of Sanders’ themes, such as a call for campaign finance reform. He bashed Wasserman Schultz for taking money from big banks, siding with the payday lending industry and opposing a 2014 Florida constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana. The amendment ultimately failed. 
 
 The dire Wasserman Schultz headlines has helped even more money pour in: nearly $100,000 since she resigned, Canova’s campaign said. 
 
 But the same question about Canova persists after Wasserman Schultz’s DNC resignation as it did before it: Can he parlay national attention into district votes on Election Day? 
 
 No public polls have been released gauging opinion in the Miami-Dade/Broward district. Canova’s campaign said it hasn’t conducted internal polls. Wasserman Schultz’s campaign has ignored questions about polling. Voting by mail begins this month in the Aug. 30 primary. 
 
 Longtime Democrats who have supported Wasserman Schultz said primary voters will make up their mind based on the “Debbie” they have seen and heard in their own backyard — not the one on the national stage. 
 
 “When you go into the heart of her congressional district and really all over South Florida people know Debbie and she is loved,” said Christian Ulvert, a Democratic campaign consultant who isn’t working for Wasserman Schultz but supports her. “I don’t see a world where Debbie’s longtime constituents don’t stand with her again. It is very hard to erase her two decades of elected services. When you go into Broward, everybody is talking about Debbie, Debbie, Debbie.” 
 
 The last time she faced a primary was a six-way race in 1992 for the state House. She first won a seat in Congress in 2004. Since then, she’s easily swatted away Republican challengers with little effort. In past elections, Democrats in the district have had no option but to vote for her. 
 
 When you go into the heart of her congressional district and really all over South Florida people know Debbie and she is loved. Democratic campaign consultant Christian Ulvert 
 
 Facing a primary this year, she’s stepped up her local appearances. She recently held a news conference to bash Canova, and a free barbecue at the Old Davie Schoolhouse. 
 
 So far, she has ignored Canova’s request for a debate. 
 
 “She’s been dodging debates for the past three months now,” Canova told Fox News on Monday, “and she can’t say, she is too busy, I think.” 
 
 Wasserman Schultz raised about $3.1 million through June while Canova raised about $2.3 million. His campaign said Monday he has now raised more than $2.5 million. 
 
 Vice President Joe Biden will host a fundraiser for the congresswoman at the Cruz Building in Coconut Grove on Aug. 5, said Fort Lauderdale lawyer Mike Moskowitz. A previous Biden fundraiser had been canceled because of the Orlando shooting. 
 
 There had been rumors for months long before the WikiLeaks that Wasserman Schultz would step aside as chairwoman this year before election day. Those rumors subsided somewhat after President Obama said he had her back while visiting Florida. 
 
 “This might have been a possibility before, but after the leaks it baked it into cake,” said Mitch Ceasar, a Florida superdelegate who serves on the executive board of the Democratic National Committee and chaired the Broward Democrats for about 20 years. 
 
 Democratic activists from Wasserman Schultz’s district passionately defended her in Philadelphia on Monday, telling every reporter who would listen that she has been a dependable workhorse. They cited her long roots working in the district, including on behalf of the gay community 
 
 Activist Elaine Geller of Hollywood recalled that Wasserman Schultz helped her family sign up for Obamacare when Geller’s daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. 
 
 “She’s just warm and loving,” Geller said, conceding that those personality traits might not be as obvious on the national stage. “I don’t think that maybe you can really translate that, how warm someone is.” 
 
 Canova, she added, also lives in Hollywood. 
 
 “I have never seen Tim. As a community activist, I’ve never met the man,” she said. “It’s one thing to stand up and give a speech. It’s another to really know the community — and he doesn’t.” ||||| HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - For the first time in more than 20 years, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., has a primary opponent who has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt. 
 
 Local 10 News spoke with Tim Canova to talk about leaked emails and why he can't get Wasserman Schultz to debate him. 
 
 Canova has been dragged into the national spotlight over the controversial Democratic National Committee emails that were leaked, which some argue show favoritism toward Hillary Clinton. 
 
 Canova said even his name has popped up dozens of times. 
 
 "She was using DNC resources to monitor what my campaign was doing (and) how it was doing," he said. 
 
 Canova, who is running for public office for the first time, is talking to his attorneys because he thinks there could be federal election law violations. 
 
 The law professor is the congresswoman’s first primary opponent in more than two decades. 
 
 "It's a spectacle," Canova said. "It's sad that this is what's become of Wasserman Schultz's career." 
 
 Canova questions her success as DNC chair and thinks her national role has affected District 23. 
 
 Other than Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Canova claims Wasserman Schultz has the highest absentee rate in 2015. 
 
 "She won't debate me. She won't acknowledge me. She doesn't want me to speak anywhere," he said. 
 
 Local 10 News contacted Wasserman Schultz's camp to get answers on Canova's consistent attempt to set up a debate, but has yet to receive a response. 
 
 "She believes in political power," Canova said. "She believes in her own career advancement, but democracy means we should have open debates." 
 
 Wasserman Schultz recently told Local 10 News that Canova has done absolutely nothing for the district. 
 
 In downtown Hollywood, where Canova's headquarters are located, some folks said they still support her despite what's happening in Philadelphia. 
 
 "In all honesty, she was working as a Democratic chairperson and she was looking out for the best for the Democrats," Bill McGrath said. 
 
 Like Sanders, Canova said his money contributions from voters have been small -- typically less than $17. 
 
 So far, he has raised more than $2.5 million. 
 
 Copyright 2016 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
– Debbie Wasserman Schultz may have been at the center of the Democratic Party's so-called civil war, but she now faces what the Miami Herald labels "the political battle of her lifetime." On Aug. 30, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, who will leave her post after the party convention, will go up against a strong primary opponent in South Florida, who's benefited from her recent struggles. Tim Canova has Bernie Sanders' strong endorsement, and he's not only raised a reported $100,000 since Wasserman Schultz announced her resignation, but he's also used the Democratic National Convention to taunt her. "I have not left the district in eight months," he said Sunday. "That's not going to change between now and Aug. 30. I don't think there's going to be a great need for me to go up to Philly and chase the spotlight. We're making friends on the ground every day." The primary isn't the only hurdle Wasserman Schultz may need to clear. Canova's camp is considering filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission based on leaked emails that suggest the DNC was tracking Canova's campaign. In one email, DNC communications director Luis Miranda wrote "we need the state party to do some digging" in reference to a speech Canova was to give to Democrats in Alaska. "She was using DNC resources to monitor what my campaign was doing [and] how it was doing," Canova tells ABC 10. "It's sad that this is what's become of Wasserman Schultz's career." No polls have focused on the Miami-Dade/Broward district, but one supporter says Wasserman Schultz is "loved" there. "I don't see a world where Debbie's longtime constituents don't stand with her again." (We know how Sanders would vote.)