NBC News reports that analysts project that Florida’s reign as a determining factor in the world of politics for both the Republican and Democratic parties is ending.
In the past, the Sunshine State has been deemed an important state for aspiring White House occupants due to large rallies, surrogate events, and massive sums of fundraising that fund campaign ads across the state’s 10 lucrative media markets. However, in 2024, for the upcoming presidential race, Florida looks like a “has been.”
Democrats have tried every trick in the book to maintain somewhat of a blue momentum, including an uptick in voter registration efforts, but Florida has always been a solid red state. The state is now seeing more than one million people’s voter registration advantages on the Republican ticket. However, when it comes to money, it is geared toward Democrats. Even Gov. Ron DeSantis notices the shift. “Are you happy we are a solid Republican state? It used to be …presidential elections, we would be on a razor’s edge about the state of Florida,” DeSantis said to a crowd.
“Because if Republicans could not win the state of Florida, then you did not have a path to win the Electoral College.”
By comparison, in funding, there was more than $57 million
spent on Florida TV ads in 2020 — $38 million from President Joe Biden and $19 million from former President Donald Trump’s campaign. In 2022, the national Democratic groups spent $2 million in the state during a nonpresidential election cycle, a decrease from nearly $60 million in the previous midterm election.For the 2024 election cycle, only $2.1 million has been spent on presidential campaign TV ads.
The Democratic Party of Florida added the mantra of “something is happening in Florida” in 2024 as a way to pay homage to the fact that there is no expectation of them to win; however, there are
certain metrics that promote a sense of optimism in both general and national elections. “With the work we have been doing and the grassroots momentum, Florida is competitive in 2024,” Florida Democratic Party Communications Director Eden Giagnorio said.“Now imagine what we could achieve with real investment.”
The data from their campaigning efforts also stands out—they made over three million phone calls to voters, knocked on 1.3 million doors, and sent over 10 million text messages. It helps that several DeSantis supporters, who were school board candidates, lost their bid during Florida’s primary. The loss was labeled as the governor’s first real political loss during his tenure.
Some of Florida’s controversial legislature can factor in the change, giving a sense of divisiveness. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo said some of DeSantis’ own GOP lawmakers have been against his proposals. During his reign, he added a statewide elections police force, a six-week abortion ban, and the expansion of school vouchers.
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