Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz connected Tuesday sent a memo to section enactment leaders outlining that during the 2018 midterms, a postulation of 7 nationalist groups spent astir $60 cardinal successful Florida, a fig that dropped to $1.3 cardinal this cycle. Diaz became president aft a unspeakable 2020 predetermination rhythm for Democrats, successful part, connected the heels of an endorsement from erstwhile New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a billionaire who galore successful the enactment expected to travel up his endorsement with waves of currency they could usage to rebuild the party. Bloomberg contributed precise small to Florida Democrats this cycle.
Headed into predetermination day, determination were wide signs that Republicans would expanse galore races. Republicans were winning the Miami-Dade County passim the time and took Hillsborough County, which DeSantis mislaid successful 2018 by astir 50,000 votes. Through 5 p.m., voters with nary enactment affiliation successful Seminole County, seen arsenic 1 of the state’s biggest plaything counties, had formed much predetermination time ballots than Democrats had.
Republicans already person a 320,000-voter registration vantage successful Florida — the archetypal clip successful Florida governmental past determination are much Republicans than Democrats successful the authorities — and Democrats present fearfulness that DeSantis volition person a bigger mandate to propulsion for arguable policies arsenic helium continues to physique his nationalist profile. DeSantis, for example, won by little than 1 percent aft a recount successful 2018.
DeSantis started his tenure arsenic a politician arsenic a mean but shifted dramatically during the pandemic, wherever his hands-off attack to mandates similar required masking and vaccine passports helped him physique a estimation with Republicans crossed the country.
From there, DeSantis placed Florida connected the vanguard of galore of the nation’s astir polarizing civilization warfare fights. It has made him a prima with Republicans, and progressively a national-level governmental boogeyman for Democrats, who during the 2022 midterms failed to get nationalist Democratic organizations to walk successful Florida similar they person successful erstwhile cycles.
During his archetypal term, DeSantis loudly opposed captious contention mentation — an analytical model primitively developed by ineligible scholars that astir nationalist schoolhouse officials accidental isn’t taught successful K-12 schools — and became the nationalist look of the GOP-led Legislature’s parental rights law, labeled “Don’t Say Gay” by its opponents, that restricts teachers from starring schoolroom instructions connected intersexual predisposition and sex individuality for students successful kindergarten done 3rd grade.
His enactment of the authorities led to a precise nationalist combat with Walt Disney Co., whose CEO was initially soundless connected the instrumentality but aboriginal became a vocal opponent. DeSantis besides convinced the Republican Legislature to aboriginal portion Disney, 1 of the state’s largest employers, of its peculiar operating presumption successful Florida.
More recently, his formation of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard enraged Democrats, who accused of Florida politician of quality trafficking and utilizing susceptible migrants to further his governmental agenda.
“Once DeSantis is reelected, thing volition beryllium capable to halt him from enacting adjacent much utmost policies than helium has successful the past,” said Sean Shaw, a erstwhile Democratic Florida House subordinate from Tampa. “Floridians tin number connected seeing much extremist proposals that restrict entree to voting, prohibition termination and support costs precocious by helping retired large security companies portion leaving Floridians to ft the bill.”
But the policies that astir interest Democrats are the ones that person propelled DeSantis to a immense victory, made him a statesmanlike contender and functionally rewired however the authorities operates politically.
During his archetypal word successful office, DeSantis spent $5 cardinal done the Republican Party of Florida connected elector registration efforts, which fueled the monolithic summation successful registered Republicans. The results were overwhelming. Republicans easy won each of the 5 statewide races and swept a fistful of cardinal Florida Senate seats, capturing a supermajority successful that chamber.
“Governor DeSantis invested aboriginal successful registration and swung Republicans to a 300,000-voter advantage,” said Evan Power, the Florida GOP’s seat of chairs. “Now, with large Republican wins helium has dramatically shifted Florida red. This volition beryllium a elephantine governmental triumph that volition specify Governor DeSantis present successful Florida and connected the nationalist stage.”
Yet DeSantis’ nationalist ambitions volition conscionable head-on with erstwhile President Donald Trump, who is wide expected to denote a 2024 White House tally successful mid-November if not sooner.
Tension betwixt the imaginable 2024 rivals are already rising. Trump didn’t invitation DeSantis to a rally successful Miami implicit the play for Rubio portion the politician separately held his ain reelection rallies passim the state. But astir directly, Trump chided DeSantis with a disparaging nickname: “Desanctimonious.”
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