Eager to signal a Democratic pulse to national investors, Florida state leaders are touting upset wins at the state and local level over the past year. But party insiders warn, Democrats’ problems in Florida are too entrenched to rely on momentum from those victories, and big donors are still writing the state off.
A January win in a state House special election, in a district that overlaps with parts of vulnerable House Democratic Rep. Darren Soto’s, as well as a Democratic victory in the Jacksonville mayoral race last spring — a city Gov. Ron DeSantis won by nearly 12 points just six months prior — are giving Florida Democrats something to shout about. Nationally, however, the cash has run dry for a major Florida push.
“Nothing to my eyes as soon as suggested a substantial sea change or a new type of investment or reengagement of Florida,” Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi told NOTUS. “It’s premature to suggest that the Florida Democratic Party is back in any real way, shape or form until the Democratic Party starts winning any statewide elections in Florida.”