Republican Governor. Ron DeSantis will be running for reelection buoyed in part by his national profile and unmatched cash reserves. The Republicans also control almost all of the state government.
Annette Taddeo (Democratic state senator) said that there was a clear understanding of the challenges ahead when they met for their annual strategy conference.
Taddeo stated, “Ofcourse this fight won’t be easy, but that’s because it’s so much more than any of us and as Florida Democrats we have lost so often that donors and pundits gave up on us,” She said, however, that she believes and knows we can win in a state where the decisions are made by less than 1%.
Democrats face a number of challenges as they try to rebuild their campaign networks and rekindle excitement within the party ahead of 2022 elections. After years of losses, there is growing concern that the party’s national wing and big donors may view Florida as GOP territory.
State Rep. Evan Jenne, a Democrat, stated that “In the current American politics, especially in a state where there are as many major television markets, and as many population centers, you’re likely to need more help.” “It’s not like Floridians cannot be influenced in any way. We need to work more closely with the national party.”
The Democratic Governors Association has resisted claims that it has given Florida to Republicans. A spokesperson stated that the group was building its general election infrastructure through investments in media and messaging. The Democratic National Committee is intensifying its organizing efforts in the state.
“Florida will be a major battleground in 2022 and the DGA has made DeSantis’ defeat a priority. Marshall Cohen, the political director of the governors group, stated that they have already begun investing in Florida and are working closely with their candidates to make sure we have what it takes against DeSantis next autumn.
Florida Republicans have won a string of victories, including Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns. They are also active in organizing at the local level as DeSantis is gaining popularity because he opposes mandates and lockdowns for coronavirus.
Helen Aguirre Ferre (executive director of the state Republican Party) stated that “we didn’t dismantle any operation; on the contrary, they continued to build upon them.” “The power comes from the bottom up. It is not top-down, and that remains our major commitment.”
Some observers have pointed out that Democratic donors may hesitate to invest in Florida due to the party’s track records. This was most evident in 2020 when Trump won the state and Republicans gained additional congressional seats.
DeSantis revealed last month that Republicans have gained a slight edge over Democrats in terms of the number registered voters, for the first time ever in state history. DeSantis and Republicans have been pushing for registration over the past decade.
According to the state election agency, there are 5,118,357 registered Republicans, and 5,114,039 Democrats. The number of unaffiliated votes has increased to 3.8million. After Trump’s endorsement, DeSantis won the election in 2018. This was in an year in which Democrats outnumbered Republicans by more that 250,000 registered voters.
“Florida voters chose the Republican Party over that of the Democratic Party because they value freedom and liberty, and reject Democrat-led government controls,” DeSantis said. “This historic moment is the result of years of hard work, as well as the success of our commonsense conservative policies,” DeSantis stated in an email announcing voter registration numbers.
Susie Wiles, a Republican strategist, said that it is important for the GOP not to stop organizing and to be optimistic about registering voters.
Wiles, who ran Trump’s Florida campaigns, said that the assumption that it is a reliably red state should be questioned. “The state is so dynamic, there are so many people moving in and out and it just has a very diverse population base that is changing all the time.” “I don’t believe we should ever stop as Republicans, and the good thing is that we haven’t in the past decade.”
Steve Schale is a political strategist who assisted Democrat Barack Obama in Florida to win two of his White House races. Schale said that Democratic registration efforts have mainly focused on presidential races. Schale believes the party can benefit from continued organizing, especially in South Florida’s Hispanic communities. Trump won Florida last year by a larger margin than 2016.
He said, “Registration by itself is not an organizing tool.” It will have a double-win effect if your party is active in the communities it serves, especially in those areas where there are more needs.
Manny Diaz was the chair of the Florida Democratic Party. He acknowledged that Democrats were not as aggressive in registering voters in past years. However, he said, “We have more than we ever had on the ground as well as right now.”
He stated that the last time there was a statewide organization in the state was during the Obama campaign. “We are not going to get outworked this year by the other side, I promise that.”
