Florida Democratic operatives say it could take a decade for the party to recover from disastrous midterms

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Florida Democratic operatives think the massive losses the state party suffered in Tuesday’s midterm elections could reverberate for up to ten years, according to the Washington Post.

In an analysis on Thursday, Post national reporter Tim Craig summarized the extent of the damage: "Battered and deflated by their party’s worst statewide showing in more than 100 years, Democratic strategists and activists said Wednesday it may take the party at least a decade to rebound from its stunning losses." 

Craig added that Democratic fears are "rooted in a fundamental cultural shift in Florida’s electorate as well as their inability to turn out even some of their most reliable voters." 

The print headline for The Post article noted, "As Florida lurches rightward, Democrats fear state is firmly out of reach." Craig highlighted Democratic concerns of right-wing dominance, writing, "Many Florida Democrats worry the state will become even more of a laboratory for Republican policies as candidates elsewhere consider how they can win." 

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Republican gubernatorial candidate for Florida Ron DeSantis waves to the crowd during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 8, 2022. - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been tipped as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, was one of the early winners of the night in Tuesday's midterm election.  (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

Democratic strategist Joshua Karp, founder and partner at Hone Strategies, told The Post, "This state is really a portrait of what happens when Florida Democrats fail, over many, many years, to communicate a working-class economic message." 

Noting that a million fewer voters supported Florida Democratic candidates statewide in 2022 than in 2018, Karp worried, "Did they shift to becoming Republicans — or did they just not show up?" 

Democratic National Committee member Hope Herring criticized the party’s messaging: "We have to reimagine how we connect with the people in this state…. Just think about seniors. Seniors are literally the largest regular voting bloc in this state, and we do almost nothing to target them."

According to Terry Sullivan, a strategist who has worked for Marco Rubio and other Republicans, Florida is solidly red. He added, "That may change … But in the short term, Florida is every bit as Republican as Texas." 

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Sen. Marco Rubio delivers a victory speech in Miami after being projected as the winner in the Senate race against Democratic challenger Rep. Val Demings on Nov. 8, 2022. (Ronn Blitzer/Fox News) (Fox News)

The journalist also connected the state’s rightward bent with extremist groups: "Florida has increasingly emerged as a hot spot for extremism. More residents were arrested here for allegedly participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol than in any other state. Members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group with a history of violence, sit on county Republican Party executive committees, including in Miami." 

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Craig described Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won his reelection campaign by 19 points, as adopting a "polarizing agenda" during COVID, adding "that included bucking scientists by quickly reopening the state’s businesses and tourism centers, even as the coronavirus went on to kill more than 80,000 Floridians." 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cruises into re-election, pictured with his family. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

The Post writer said the source of the implosion of the state Democratic Party can be found in the massive amount of new Republicans registering in the last four years: "Since then [2018], Florida has added nearly 1.2 million new voters. Republicans added 570,000 registrants, while Democrats had a net gain of just 2,300 statewide. Since the start of the year, Republicans gained ground over Democrats in all 67 Florida counties." 

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