Ron DeSantis: Florida Is Now a Republican State

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Sheraton Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 15, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida is now a red state, with a significantly larger number of registered Republican voters than Democrats, securing a solid majority for the GOP in what was once a key swing state.

During an interview on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures” on April 7, he told host Maria Bartiromo why the GOP is gaining voters in his state.

“Florida is off the board. It is a Republican state,” Mr. DeSantis said. “We used to be a one-point state, every election hung on how would Florida go; that is not true anymore. And I think that’s a good thing for the party.”

The GOP in Florida now has nearly “900,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats,” he said, noting that in 2018, when he won his first term as governor, the GOP was about 300,000 voters behind the Democrats.

“You’re talking about a million-plus voter registration shift,” Mr. DeSantis said.

According to the Florida Division of Election data, as of Feb. 2024, the Sunshine State has 5.2 million registered Republicans, nearly 4.4 million registered Democrat voters, and 3.5 million voters with no party affiliation.

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In the interview, the Florida governor said the GOP voter base is growing because more voters are switching from Democratic and non-party affiliations to the Republican Party than vice versa.

Mr. DeSantis said that another reason for the record gap is Florida’s policies.

“I do think that migration has skewed among people who come to Florida, not because they want to change the policies to reflect in Illinois, or California or New York, but because they appreciate how Florida has done it differently from where they’re coming,” Mr. DeSantis said.

On April 5, Mr. DeSantis celebrated the news on social media platform X, adding that Hillsborough, one of the most populous counties in Florida, will likely flip from Democrat to Republican.

According to data compiled by local outlet Florida’s Voice, as of April, Republicans outnumber Democrats in 56 of 67 counties in the Sunshine State.

The Florida governor secured his second term with a 19 percent lead over Charlie Crist in the 2022 governor’s race. He also ran in the presidential race but ultimately ended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump for the 2024 White House bid.

When asked whether he intends to run in the 2028 presidential race, the former GOP candidate said that he does not have any plans for the future and wants to focus on things in Florida.

Voter Base Shift

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by about 1.5 million voters. However, the gap gradually narrowed as the number of Republicans increased while the number of Democrats declined in the state.

Florida made headlines in 2000 when Republican George W. Bush won the state with a 537-vote margin, helping him to secure the White House. Since 1980, Democrat presidential candidates have won the state only three times, and Republicans have secured it eight times.

After the 2020 census, the Sunshine State gained another electoral vote, bringing its total to 30 and replacing New York as the third most populous state in the United States.

Biden Campaign Wants to Flip Florida

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign said on April 1 that it will aim to flip Florida in November, noting that it sees “a pathway to victory” in the Republican-dominated state.

Campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez said in a memo first shared with NBC News that the Biden campaign has “multiple pathways” to securing 270 electoral votes, with Florida being one of them.

“Make no mistake: Florida is not an easy state to win, but it is a winnable one for President Biden, especially given Trump’s weak, cash-strapped campaign, and serious vulnerabilities within his coalition,” she stated.

Former President Donald Trump won Florida with 51 percent of the votes in 2020, compared with President Biden’s 48 percent. President Trump also won Florida in 2016 with 49 percent.

She stated that abortion rights will be “front and center in Florida” this election cycle. The Florida Supreme Court on April 1 upheld the state’s 15-week abortion ban in a ruling that means a subsequently passed six-week ban can soon take effect.

Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.