What kind of trouble are Democrats in? Ron DeSantis and the governor’s race in Florida? DeSantis is how well-liked?
Just a few words from the Democratic Governors Association, (DGA), to give us an indication. A new Politico report says that they don’t plan on spending any money to try to unseated him in Florida by 2022. Politico was told by two Florida consultants familiar with DGA’s strategy. The sources said there’s a growing concern that the Democrats can’t win statewide offices in Florida, although the sources didn’t want to go on the record with that.
One of the people who has spoken with the DGA said that DeSantis’ near universal support from the GOP base and $50 million war chest — as well the organization’s focus on incumbents — means Florida is likely to see far less money than past election cycles. It was not possible to immediately provide a dollar amount.
A second person working with the DGA, who confirmed that the organization is limiting its financial help to Florida Democrats, said he’d be amazed if the DGA invested heavily in the state.
The DGA spent $15 million on the last two governor’s races in Florida and they got bupkis. Democrats haven’t won the governor’s race there in twenty years.
The Democrats are also acknowledging that it may no longer be the “swing state” that it’s been regarded as in the last few presidential elections.
Voter registrations that used to favor Democrats overwhelmingly have changed. For the first time, Republicans are surpassing Democrats when it comes to voter registrations.
The Hill
“Today for the first time in the history of Florida we’ve now overtaken Democrats,” DeSantis said at the National Conference of State Legislatures. The governor’s comments were first reported by the Tampa Bay Times.
According to Florida’s latest voter registration data, which dates back to August 2016, Democrats have outnumbered Republicans by less than 24,000 votes. However, political parties often have better up-to date figures at the county-level.
Now, the Democrats have taken what they can and are funneling it elsewhere where they feel they have a greater chance, such as Arizona, Maryland, or Massachusetts. They’re also concentrating on protecting incumbent governors in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, rather than trying to take out the immensely popular with the Republican base DeSantis. According to a DGA staffer, they first focused on protecting incumbents. “DGA does not look at things in a vacuum,” the Democrat staffer said. “We have a lot of races in 2022, and Florida requires, what, $6 to $10 million? That’s a lot.”
That leaves the two Democrats who have already declared to run against DeSantis, former governor Charlie Crist and Agriculture Secretary Nikki Fried, hanging out in the wind and it looks like at least Fried can see a little bit of that writing on the wall, with this interesting take, running away from Joe Biden’s mandate debacle.
Per @fineoutIn today’s @politicoflPlaybook
“Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat who is challenging DeSantis in next year’s governor’s race, said she did not agree with the Biden administration mandates.”
🤔This is very interesting. It must be very unpopular.
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 (@ChristinaPushaw) November 5, 2021
Meanwhile, DeSantis just keeps ascending on the national field, doing things like taking on Joe Biden with a little “Let’s go, Brandon” humor and offering help for the supply chain problem by offering ports in Florida. He’s going to be tough to beat not only in Florida but in a future national run.
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