Florida Republicans have smashed through a key milestone and now boast a 1 million voter registration advantage over Democrats.
The gains, announced by Republicans on Sunday, cap a stunning transformation in a once-classic battleground state where Democrats have long held the advantage.
“Our success goes beyond the numbers” – Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power It said in a statement“It’s a vision to make Florida a beacon of freedom for the rest of the country.”
In 2018 alone, Democrats had over 250,000 more registered voters than Republicans. According to the Florida Department of Elections.
Registered Republicans It announced them in late 2021 amid the party’s growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of 2018, there were 5.26 million registered Republican voters and 4.3 million registered Democratic voters. According to FDEFlorida has 13.4 million registered voters.
Republicans across the state on Sunday hailed the milestone.
“Six years ago, registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans by approximately 300,000. And never in the history of the state of Florida have registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X.
“Republican voters now outnumber Democratic voters by 1 million, a huge shift most people never thought possible (contrary to many predictions that Florida would become a blue state). Leadership matters. Bold colors matter, not pale pastels.”
DeSantis narrowly won the 2018 gubernatorial election by 49.6% to 49.2% and then comfortably won his 2022 reelection campaign by 59.4% to 40%, smashing Republicans nationwide who fell short of expectations that the GOP would win that year.
The Florida Republican Party linked the voter registration feat to DeSantis, Trump and key Republicans in the state, including Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Despite the crushing defeat in the 2022 election, Florida Democrats are sounding optimistic about their chances of winning in the state.
They are pouring money into former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s (D-Fla.) challenge to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a state Biden had signaled he could win before dropping out.
“Trumpism has really taken hold here in Florida,” Biden said at a fundraiser in January, according to a White House recording.
“We have to organize and mobilize to get out the vote. I think we can win Florida. I think Democrats can win Florida.”
Biden, 81, lost Florida to former President Donald Trump 47.9% to 51.2% in 2020. The last time a Democrat won the state was in 2012, under former President Barack Obama.
One issue Democrats are hoping to gain traction in Florida is abortion, which is set to be on the ballot in the Nov. 5 election.
Voters in the state will decide whether to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution, with some exceptions, and override the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
A referendum needs 60 percent of the vote to succeed. In other Republican-leaning states, such as Ohio and Kansas, voters turned out in large numbers to support abortion rights.
