Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump may not be buddies anymore, but that does not mean the governor has given up on keeping the momentum he gained in the 2022 election.
To that point, the Florida Division of Elections has announced that as of the end of March, Republican voter registration has dominated Democrat voter registration by nearly 900,000.
Talking Points…
- GOP surges in 2022 election
- Florida keeps it rolling in 2024
- Analysis
During the 2022 election, there was clearly a buzz in the air about Governor Ron DeSantis. Even though he was up for re-election in 2022, the big buzz was about him running for president in 2022. On top of that, Democrats were putting a retread up against DeSantis in Charlie Crist.
The excitement about DeSantis drove Republicans to the polls, while the excitement about Crist kept Democrats on the couch. There was a massive drop in overall voting from 2018, when 62.6% of voters showed up. In 2022, that number dropped to 53.8%, with many Democrats staying on their couches on election day.
In the election, nearly eight million voters turned out. Republicans had 67.3% of their registered voters cast a ballot, while only 52% of Democrats showed up, and a mere 38.5% of independent voters cast a ballot.
When the votes were counted, it was a historic win by DeSantis, having the widest margin of victory ever, winning 59% to 40%, beating Crist by more than 1.5 million votes.
DeSantis’ win set the GOP up for a big 2024 as DeSantis had effectively turned the entire state of Florida into a red state rather than a battleground state. That excitement has not dropped off since the election.
As of March 29, 2024, the GOP held a nearly 900,000 edge over registered Democrats in the state. The GOP now sits at more than 5.2 million registered voters, while the Democrats are just shy of 4.4 million. This has shifted the balance of power in the state from Democrats to Republicans.
Governor Ron DeSantis took a victory lap over the numbers after the report was announced…
Prior to 2021, FL never had more registered Republicans than Democrats. Now, a million voter R registration advantage is within reach.
Hillsborough (Tampa) is about to flip from D to R, which will mean every county in the Tampa Bay market has a R advantage in this previously… https://t.co/oH8b1jc4Y2
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) April 4, 2024
So, the obvious question is, “What is happening in Florida?” The answer is an easy one… COVID. Governor Ron DeSantis had one of the most aggressive recovery plans in the country, ignoring DC’s call to stay shut down, opening up his state, and lifting restrictions, especially in terms of forcing the vaccine on residents and workers in the state.
This has led to roughly 500,000 people relocating to Florida between 2021 and 2022, with most of them registering as Republican voters. Republicans now dominate districts throughout the state, currently holding an advantage in 56 of the 67 counties in Florida. This is great news for Trump, who will rely heavily on winning Florida and Texas to win back the White House in 2024.
