Florida has Become the Republican Stronghold

Photo by Matthew Paulson

The Sunshine State was once considered the nation’s most important swing state.

But with Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio’s landslide victories, Florida now officially become Republican.

Ron DeSantis cleared the field so wide that even Miami-Dade swung red. Florida was more Republican this year than Texas. That tells a lot about what’s going on in the Sunshine State.

Ron DeSantis easily won another four-year term amidst speculations that he is considering joining the presidential race in 2024. He might also win the Republican nomination if he runs for President. All bets are off.

Democrats lost the plot in Florida

Democrats underperformed in key demographics.

They became unappealing to younger voters and even failed to hold Miami-Dade County, the biggest in the state and a longtime blue refuge, especially in the gubernatorial and Senate races.

“It was a mess, honestly,” said Susan MacManus, a veteran Florida political analyst and professor emerita at the University of South Florida.

MacManus claimed Democrats fell short on several fronts in Florida.

1. They lacked national funding
2. They failed to solve a growing registration gap
3. They misread which issues would concern key voters

“One size fits all absolutely never works in Florida,” she added.

Florida is expected to have a major influence over the national election map in 2024 as it strengthens 30 Electoral College votes and 28 House seats.

Democratic voter registration is going down, according to data from the Florida secretary of state’s office. The number of active registered Democrats dropped by more than 164,000 to 4,966,873.

On the other hand, the number of active registered Republican voters increased to 5,259,406 in the same period — a gain of more than 150,000.

Florida has long been a challenging environment for Democrats. But the latest midterms marked an apparent rout for Florida Democrats, especially when compared with the party’s stronger-than-expected finish almost everywhere else.

What do you think about red Florida?

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