Florida Democrats Say Their Hopes Hinge on Nonparty Voters and Republicans

Republicans are outpacing Democrats 2-to-1 in Florida’s early voting.

Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of Florida, center, now a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate
Republicans in the state are taking a victory lap. Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Florida Republicans closed Democrats’ mail ballot turnout advantage in just the one day of in-person early voting. By day four, they had already pulled ahead in Miami-Dade County.

That’s a dire sign for a party that has spent the election cycle insisting their 2022 wipeout, and Miami-Dade’s flip for Republicans, was a fluke.

In 2022, Democrats made up 30% of in-person early voters before Election Day. So far this week, Democrats make up just 27%. As of Friday, about 1.5 million Republicans and about 1.2 million Democrats had already voted in Florida between both mail ballots and early voting. Republicans in the state are taking a victory lap.