Democrats across the state of Florida were exposed to some hard truths following Election Day. Their party is most certainly not the majority.
More than 400,000 people voted for Trump over Biden, turning the state red for the presidential race. For the Representatives, it was even more significant – with Gaetz having a clear lead over Ehr in District 1. In District 2, Dunn was able to win because of running unopposed. Similar results can be seen in many of the other districts, too. Out of 27 districts, Dems only won in 11 of them.
For the Florida State Senate, Broxson beat Butler by a landslide, ensuring that the GOP prevailed. While Ausley beat Preston for the second runoff, it was a barely-there win that the Dems were able to clinch.
With countless examples of how the Dems failed or barely won, it shows that they’re in bigger trouble than they thought.
It’s not easy to celebrate that Biden is the winner for the entire nation when it’s clear that Florida Dems did not do their part. They lost seats and they didn’t make it easy for Biden to clinch the victory.
Terrie Rizzo, the Florida Democratic Party Chair, is likely to lose her job because of the poor showing. Yet, it doesn’t seem as though anyone else is lining up to take over the position.
A former state representative, Democrat Sean Shaw, sums it up by saying, “It’s not one thing that went wrong. Everything went wrong.”
Jason Pizzo, a Democrat in the Florida Senate attributes many of the losses suffered in Florida to the fact that there’s a divide within the party. There’s a civil war between the moderates and the progressives. Too many people view the Democratic Party as one that wants socialism.
Pizzo argues, “I’m not a f—ing socialist.” He goes on to explain that he believes in free markets and that his life is a “manifestation of the American dream.”
This goes to show that the Dems failed to counter many of the GOP messages. The GOP won Florida by showing that the Democrats were all about being anti-cop and pro-socialism. The Dems didn’t do enough to dispute those claims. They failed to prove that they wanted to continue funding police departments and that they believe in democracy and capitalism.
It wasn’t due to a lack of money. The Democratic candidates had plenty of money. It was their messaging that was lacking. They failed, and they failed big time.
As Florida Dems go through an identity crisis, they have to figure out what they can do about it.
Meanwhile, the GOP is looking to continue strengthening its message. They’re showing that they are capable of giving people what they want. They will show that they can protect Americans with police that care and that capitalism is what keeps the American dream alive.
The GOP is also beautifully positioned in Florida to take over more of the blue seats in the 2022 elections. It’s possible to get more of the House seats turned so that we can take back the majority. If both the House and the Senate fall to the power of the GOP in 2022, it would leave Biden virtually powerless for the last two years of his presidency.
As far as Biden getting a second term, don’t count on it. He’s already going to be the oldest president at time of inauguration. The likelihood of him wanting to run for a second term is dim – and everyone knows it.
Dems across Florida don’t know what they want. They don’t know what they stand for and they don’t know how to identify themselves. Most Dems don’t even know who is leading the Florida Democratic Party.
The good news is that their identity crisis leaves an opening for the GOP to come in and turn more seats red in order to get the government back on track despite Biden being in the White House.
