TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — For the first time in the state’s history, the Republican Party of Florida has surpassed the Democratic Party by more than 250,000 voter registrations.
“It’s not an accident that Florida Republicans have a quarter-million more voter registrations over Democrats. We have had half-a-million more registrations since Governor DeSantis took office – all the proof you need that the Freedom Agenda is winning across our state,” Lindsey Curnutte, DeSantis’ campaign spokesperson, told the Florida Standard.
In 2018, when DeSantis was elected governor, Republicans trailed Democrats by 300,000 voter registrations. The former mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, lost to DeSantis by a narrow margin. In June, Gillum was indicted on twenty-one counts of wire fraud, conspiracy charges, and falsifying statements, according to a news release by the Justice Department.
Florida Democrats are still recovering from losses in 2020. Campaigning in Florida is expensive, and with falling registration rates, and the loss of Hispanic support, Democrats face an uphill battle in 2022.
This past December, the Republican Party – for the first time – gained more voter registrations in Florida than the Democratic Party. Registrations increased this year by 100,000 in March, and since July, there have been more than 200,000 more Republican registrations.
“We are well on our way to proving Florida is a red state come November,” said Curnutte.