For years now Florida has been a battleground state for both Democrats and Republicans. With a relatively diverse state, the voting turnout is often very predictable. With urban votes in Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa going to the Democrats, and the more suburban and rural votes going to the Republicans, this pattern has made their campaigning easy and produced a tough race simply due to voter turnout.
With the 2022 midterms just around the corner, that has all shifted. The failed policies of Joe Biden, the huge success of Ron DeSantis, and the horrific campaign from Rep. Charlie Crist as he tries to de-seat DeSantis have all worked against the /Democrats. According to Politico, the national level of the Democratic party has called it quits in the Sunshine State for this cycle.
Instead, they want to begin focusing their efforts on the 2024 Presidential Elections. They see that the GOP has raised $200 million for this election cycle, and they are coming up short with only $29 million. Comparatively, their spending is down too. With the Democratic Governors Association dropping a total of $685,000 on this election, it sounds like it was over for Charlie Crist before he even threw his hat into the ring for Governor.
Donations to the left are way down as well. For this cycle, Michael Bloomberg has kicked in $1.5 million in this cycle, despite pledging $100 million back in 2020. Greg Goddard, a Florida Democratic fundraiser, spoke with Politico about the situation. “If Democrats follow this building national narrative and decide not to compete in Florida in 2024, it will be one of the most short-sighted decisions of the last 30 years. Where do we think the pathway to winning a future presidential election lies?”
Given the state’s swing into Republican territory by registered voters, it’s no shocker Crist isn’t looking so good. While a large influx of people from California and New York have made their way here, the blue wave did not come with them. Instead, these people are jumping on the right side. They see the failures that happened from the failed promises that the Democrats left them with.
For many of these transplants, it was hard to ignore the draw of Florida. Between no state income tax, low property taxes, a relatively cheap cost of living, and Publix subs, how could anyone resist?
Having someone like Gov. DeSantis who did what the Democrats were begging the country to do, and followed the science was a terrific thing for the state. The state shut down when needed and re-opened as counties could. This model was a blueprint for the rest of the nation to follow, with many making that decision right after figuring out that the liberal agendas of “vaccinate or kill grandma” and “mask or die” were just a bunch of hot air.
For the Democrats, now 2024 is the only thing they can worry about. While they will keep some state-level seats in their traditional districts, they won’t have much representation at the federal level, and they won’t take the Governor’s house either. These positions have been coated in red, and will likely stay that way for some time.
Perhaps by worrying about the 2024 races instead, they can put up a formidable opponent and make the Presidential election somewhat of a battle. Biden has already proven that he doesn’t belong in the White House now, and certainly should not be reelected in 2024. So whoever the left chooses to take that spot will have an uphill battle to win the office, and as it stands the party is already missing a wheel and one other has gone flat.
