Florida has solidified its status as a conservative stronghold, with 1 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, as revealed by recent county election data. The state boasts 5.3 million active Republican voters against 4.3 million active Democratic voters, alongside 3.9 million voters unaffiliated with any major party. This dramatic shift comes after Democrats had a voter registration advantage of about 97,000 in 2020.
Republican leaders have celebrated this shift, with Florida Republican Party chair Evan Power calling it a "win for the Florida Republican Party," and citing their success as "the most successful party in the nation." The surge in Republican registrations spells trouble for the state's Democrats, who've faced significant defeats, including Governor Ron DeSantis's 19-point re-election victory in 2022. Despite the losses, Democrats remain hopeful, pointing to electoral wins like the Jacksonville mayor's race and turning State House District 35 blue.
Democrats attribute their registration deficit in part to demographic changes, highlighting DeSantis's stance against pandemic health policies as a draw for newcomers. Additionally, the enactment of Republican-backed laws tightening third-party voter registration has hampered Democratic efforts. Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, described the GOP voter registration gain as "empty rhetoric," highlighting a "massive momentum shift" marked by 18,000 new Democratic volunteers since Vice President Kamala Harris joined the race. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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