{"id":575171,"date":"2023-05-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/"},"modified":"2023-05-19T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T10:00:00","slug":"florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"#Florida turns red: Can Democrats make a comeback?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4213032683d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4213032683d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/#Reversal_of_fortune\" >Reversal of fortune<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/#More_stories_on_Floridas_conservative_shift\" >More stories on Florida\u2019s conservative shift:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/#%E2%80%98We_really_need_to_start_building_a_bench\" >\u2018We really need to start building a bench\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/#A_new_beginning\" >A new beginning<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/#Hurdles_remain_for_Dems\" >Hurdles remain for Dems<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>EDITOR\u2019S<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>NOTE<\/strong>:\u00a0<strong><em>This is the fifth in a\u00a0five-part\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> called \u201cHow Florida got so conservative.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was less than a day after the 2012 presidential election and Florida Republicans were already suffering from a particularly painful post-election hangover.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The state GOP had outspent the Florida Democratic Party by a 3-to-1 margin, while Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney had visited the state nearly 40 times \u2014 far more than then-President Barack Obama.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet Obama still came out on top, eking out a narrow 1-point victory that earned him Florida\u2019s 29 electoral votes and helped propel him to a second term in the White House. The details of that win were even more alarming for Republicans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Florida\u2019s politically influential Cuban community, which had favored Republicans for decades, split its vote almost evenly between Romney and Obama, according to exit polling at the time. The GOP had even gone as far as to hold its 2012 national convention in Tampa in an effort to show its commitment to the state.<\/p>\n<p>For Democrats, it was a momentous occasion; a show of how discipline, data and long-term organizing efforts could win over even the toughest and most expensive of battleground states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe feeling was that Democrats had picked the Republican lock on Florida,\u201d recalled Fernand Amandi, a Miami-based Democratic pollster who helped Obama win the state in 2008 and 2012. \u201cAlmost like a video <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> cheat code.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reversal_of_fortune\"><\/span><strong>Reversal of fortune<\/strong><strong><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1400\" height=\"787\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?w=900\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3841818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg 1400w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=160,90 160w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=1280,720 1280w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=645,363 645w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=256,144 256w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=512,288 512w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=640,360 640w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=876,492 876w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/crist-supporter_fl_110622ap_florida-dems.jpeg?resize=50,28 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 899px) 100vw, 876px\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Jason Radlinger stands in support of Democratic candidate for Florida governor Charlie Crist during a Get Out the Vote Rally on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Wilton Manors, Fla. (AP Photo\/Michael Laughlin)<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Fast forward a decade and that Democratic high has <strong>largely<\/strong> faded. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried Florida since Obama\u2019s reelection victory, Republicans have consolidated their control of the legislature and every statewide elected office and the state Democratic Party is seeking to rebound from the verge of political irrelevancy.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not all terrible <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> for the party: Earlier this week, Democrats scored a surprise upset in the Jacksonville, Fla., mayoral race, flipping the office and beating a Republican who carried Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019s endorsement in the process.<\/p>\n<p>Nikki Fried, the current chair of the Florida Democratic Party, was quick to celebrate the win, declaring the following morning on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a> that the Florida Democrats \u201care back.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>But while the Jacksonville victory was significant and put new wind in the state party\u2019s sails after a string of dispiriting losses,\u00a0it\u2019s still unclear if it is a harbinger of what\u2019s to come. In interviews with The Hill, a dozen Democratic operatives, strategists and elected officials cited the need to ramp up voter registration efforts, local organizing and turnout operations and candidate recruitment, conceding that the party had repeatedly failed to follow through on those efforts in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Democrats went to celebrate Obama\u2019s reelection and never came back to Florida,\u201d Amandi said in the weeks before the Jacksonville win.<\/p>\n<p>Now Democrats are wondering if Florida\u2019s recent swing toward conservatism is permanent, or simply an anomaly.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWhat we are selling in the State of Florida, Floridians are not buying,\u201d Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are two options for Democrats in Florida: Do our job right and re-energize the Democratic Party or do nothing and allow Republicans being in charge to become the new normal,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s broad consensus among Democrats in the state about what needs to be done.\u00a0But there\u2019s also broad agreement that the party\u2019s fortunes aren\u2019t likely to change overnight. Thomas Kennedy, a Democratic National Committee (DNC) member from Florida, said that his party should take a page out of the GOP\u2019s playbook.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to require long-term thinking,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cLook what Republicans did with abortion, for example. They played the long game, they confirmed judges, they flipped state legislatures, engaged in some kind of judicial activism.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a multigenerational, multi-decade campaign and we have to start thinking like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"More_stories_on_Floridas_conservative_shift\"><\/span>More stories on Florida\u2019s conservative shift:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98We_really_need_to_start_building_a_bench\"><\/span><strong>\u2018We really need to start building a bench\u2019<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1400\" height=\"787\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?w=900\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3612659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=160,90 160w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=1280,720 1280w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=645,363 645w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=256,144 256w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=512,288 512w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=876,492 876w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/FriedNikki_082222ap.jpg?resize=50,28 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 899px) 100vw, 876px\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried speaks during a news conference outside the Pat Franks Court Building Monday, Aug. 22, 2022 in Tampa. Chris Urso\/Tampa Bay Times via AP<\/em>)<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Kennedy said that Democrats\u2019 efforts to regain a foothold in Florida would have to start at the local level. Winning those down-ballot races \u2014 for offices like city councils, county commissions and the state legislature \u2014 is necessary to build a bench of candidates who could eventually run for higher office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really need to start building a bench,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cWhen you look at Republicans, they did that for a long time. [Sen.] Marco Rubio was once just a young punk in the West Miami City Commission.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), whose South Florida congressional district encompasses former President Donald Trump\u2019s Palm Beach estate, said that part of her party\u2019s challenges are financial; many major donors and national organizations have pulled back in Florida in recent years, while the state Democratic Party and its candidates have struggled to keep pace with Republicans in fundraising.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The party raised just under $681,000 in the first quarter of 2023 while the state GOP pulled in more than $8.4 million, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Florida Division of Elections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not an overnight thing but I do think obviously the party needs to be resourced,\u201d Frankel said.<\/p>\n<p>In one of its latest efforts to right the ship, Florida Democrats elected former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried as their new chair in February, replacing former Chair Manny Diaz, who resigned under pressure in January.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Diaz\u2019s resignation marked the latest setback for a party that has been consumed for years by dysfunction, infighting, financial woes and lackluster electoral performances.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with The Hill earlier this month, Fried said there wasn\u2019t the same commitment to the state party in previous election cycles that she\u2019s seeing now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that our party chair was not as engaged to be successful and so when you don\u2019t have a partnership, outside dollars, outside support walks away,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_new_beginning\"><\/span><strong>A new beginning<\/strong><strong><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"980\" height=\"551\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?w=900\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1656964\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg 980w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=160,90 160w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=645,363 645w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=256,144 256w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=512,288 512w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=876,492 876w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/florida_voting_07272018_1.jpg?resize=50,28 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 899px) 100vw, 876px\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Several Democrats say they have seen potential signs of improvement reaching Florida voters under Fried\u2019s leadership. (Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Now, Fried has had to put the past behind her.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, it\u2019s a rebuild,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not even fixing the party. It is starting from scratch. It is going back to the basics. It\u2019s making sure that we are enlisting and engaging all aspects of the state. It\u2019s making sure that we\u2019re pulling in people that are going to work around the clock.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She says she spends her days talking to donors, elected officials, grassroots organizers, people inside the state and across the country \u201cselling the story that the Democratic Party of Florida is back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is exciting is I\u2019m hearing from people across the state that we haven\u2019t been engaged in decades, haven\u2019t been giving to the party in decades, and after I was elected, they\u2019re back engaged,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fried said so far she\u2019s pleased with the results, pointing to recent visits from President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other party leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe party <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>aratus understands they can\u2019t leave Florida out,\u201d she said. \u201cThat too much of the messaging that comes out of Florida permeates across the rest of the country and they had left that message unchecked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Several Democrats said there are signs of improvement under Fried\u2019s leadership. The Florida Democratic Party has ramped up its rapid response program in hopes of more aggressively countering the GOP\u2019s messaging. And Fried is said to be courting donors and national groups.<\/p>\n<p>Frankel also said that Biden has signaled that he\u2019ll make a play for Florida in 2024 \u2014 a priority that could help draw more national money and attention to the state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere have been one-on-one talks with the president on this, and he insists that he\u2019s going to play in Florida,\u201d Frankel said. \u201cI think that would be very important and I think we have a fighting shot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The political jolt the party received on Tuesday has only rejuvenated her and Florida Democrats. Following the election, she kicked off a fundraising effort to raise $24,000 in 24 hours ahead of 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood morning from the purple, swing state of Florida,\u201d she tweeted on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hurdles_remain_for_Dems\"><\/span><strong>Hurdles remain for Dems<\/strong><strong><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1400\" height=\"787\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?w=900\" alt=\"desantis\" class=\"wp-image-3726288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=160,90 160w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=1280,720 1280w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=645,363 645w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=256,144 256w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=512,288 512w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=876,492 876w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/desantisron_110822_ap_rebeccablackwell.jpg?resize=50,28 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 899px) 100vw, 876px\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Incumbent Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters at an election night party after winning his race for reelection in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, as his wife Casey listens. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But there are challenges that a national campaign apparatus won\u2019t fix.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A new congressional map pushed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis helped Republicans pick up four new House seats in Florida last year. And the GOP\u2019s current voter registration advantage over Democrats, which now stands at more than 450,000, has only continued to grow. Any effort by Democrats to reverse that trend is likely to stretch well beyond 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) said whether Democrats will have a fighting chance next year will depend on their ability to win over the growing number of independent voters in Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have an untapped number of people who live there who are not engaged in the political system at all,\u201d Castor said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s our challenge: to get them off the sidelines and get them engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a good chance that the next GOP presidential nominee will be a Floridian; DeSantis, who won reelection last year by a staggering 19-point margin, is likely to enter the 2024 presidential race in the coming weeks, while Trump, whose base of political operations is in Palm Beach, is currently seen as the clear frontrunner for the GOP nod.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can say all we want that we\u2019re going to organize, that we\u2019re going to raise money, that we\u2019re going to do all this stuff \u2014 register voters, whatever,\u201d one Democratic consultant who has worked in Florida politics said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s great. We should do those things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if we\u2019re talking about where things go from here? When things get better? I just don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be 2024,\u201d the consultant added.<\/p>\n<p>Others are more optimistic about the party\u2019s chances. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), a 26-year-old who was elected to Congress last year, called the deep series of Democratic losses in 2022 an \u201canomaly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we saw happen this past election was an anomaly that had to do a lot of the spending that was going on and Ron DeSantis specifically,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think we\u2019ll see, with the president on the ballot, we\u2019re going to be in a lot better place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot saying we\u2019re going to turn it blue in one cycle,\u201d he added, \u201cbut I think we\u2019re going to see those margins cut pretty heavily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), a former DNC chair, acknowledged that the Florida Democratic Party \u201cneeds to rebuild,\u201d but added that it\u2019s already in the process of doing so.<\/p>\n<p>But Florida\u2019s political future might just depend as much on what Republicans do with their current power as Democrats\u2019 efforts to regain their footing, said Justin Sayfie, a longtime Florida Republican consultant who served as a spokesperson and top adviser for former Gov. Jeb Bush.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pendulum always swings back and forth,\u201d Sayfie said. \u201cI think it\u2019ll swing back faster if there\u2019s a perception that Republicans are not exercising power for the benefit of the state. But if the economy stays strong\u2026if crime stays low, Republicans can expect to maintain power for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fried sounded a note of optimism for the near future of the party.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have said that there\u2019s two paths we can be on,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s one path where I stop the bleeding, that we protect our seats, we flip back some of our House seats that we should not have lost in \u201922 and we hold the line\u2026The other path is the pendulum swings back faster and harder and [we] start seeing the unraveling of the Republican Party in the \u201924 cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The more likely scenario, she said, is that the 2024 election cycle will fall \u201csomewhere in the middle\u201d of those two outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomewhere in the middle is really where I\u2019m predicting. That without a doubt we will not ever see a November \u201922 election result again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Mychael Schnell contributed.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>This is the fifth in a\u00a0five-part\u00a0series called \u201cHow Florida got so conservative.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/3998427-florida-turns-red-can-democrats-make-a-comeback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EDITOR\u2019S\u00a0NOTE:\u00a0This is the fifth in a\u00a0five-part\u00a0series called \u201cHow Florida got so conservative.\u201d It was less than a day after the 2012 presidential election and Florida Republicans were already suffering from a particularly painful post-election hangover.\u00a0 The state GOP had outspent the Florida Democratic Party by a 3-to-1 margin, while Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney had&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":575172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/Hill-Graphic-01-May-18th.png?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[18203,135620,134344,134417,134343,73798,143150,124783,70464,139356,75264,70289,134345],"class_list":["post-575171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-barack-obama","tag-135620","tag-administration","tag-blog-briefing-room","tag-campaign","tag-defense","tag-floridas-conservative-shift","tag-international","tag-mitt-romney","tag-nikki-fried","tag-republican-party","tag-senate","tag-state-watch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}