Have there been any demographic shifts in Florida towards Dems in the past few years?

[Quixote1818]

I see a number of states moving in the blue direction like Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona. I know some of these states have a ways to go but they seem to be moving in our direction. Florida has been paper thin for either party since 2000. Why so little shift there?

[rzemanfl]

1. Florida imports old Repukes in droves. n/t

[Quixote1818]

2. This is interesting

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/american-migration-patterns-should-terrify-gop/598153/

[rzemanfl]

6. Thank you. I am listening to Rachel now but will be sure to read that. n/t

[Blue_true]

10. Last year, there were more new people registering as Democrats statewide.

Democrats hold the overall registration edge in the state.

[FM123]

3. There are now more registered Democrats in FL than there are registered republicans.

Here in South Florida we are blue - especially in Dade county (Miami area) and Broward County (Ft Lauderdale area) but I am detecting a slight shift in some older repub folks that voted for trump in the last election. I posted the other night that an elderly neighbor of mine who was a trump supporter told me "this virus is really something awful, I am so worried about so many people, I hope this all gets better soon before this president gets us all killed". I never thought he would turn on trump, but it's happening...

[lindysalsagal]

22. What matters are the swing independents.

Let's hope they've exhausted their experiment in anarchy.

[rso]

4. Florida

Palm Beach County, home to Mar a Lago is also largely blue. Hillary won it decisively in 2016 and so will Biden.

[GusBob]

5. Hurricane Maria. Florida swings on the I-4 corridor

Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties will swing the state

Dont forget! The Russians targeted the voting roles in 2 unnamed florida counties

Im betting they are among the ones I just listed

[MoonlitKnight]

15. Hillsborough has turned blue

I-4 corridor is vital and has been turning blue. There are still some bright red sections, much like the country, the coasts are blue and center is red. Orange and Seminole are critical.

[GulfCoast66]

7. In 18 we had our first Democratic cabinet secretary elected in years.

And have almost evened up the Congressional representatives 13 to 14.

We are making progress.

[Blue_true]

11. I believe that if we had nominated Gwen Graham, we would own the Governor chair and

Secretary of Agriculture office.

I am a lifelong Florida resident, born and raised here, unlike a transplant like you. I am also older than you and remember some of the mid seventies politics and I read about the earlier politics. After Florida elected the disaster of a governor Claude Kirk in 1966, for the next 24 years it would elect democratic governors, first the great Rueben Askew for 8 years, then Bob Graham for 8 years and then Lawton Childs for 8 years. Childs was a good man, but his governance was not without problems, that opened the door to Jeb Bush, who defeated Lt. Governor Buddy MacKay. After Bush came Bob Martinez, then Charlie Crist, then Scott and now DeSantis (one that we should and would have won with the right nominee). So there is hope, we just have to nominate good candidates that lead well.

Presidentially, in the elections since Clinton, Florida has went democratic three times and republican three times. It went to President Obama twice.

[MoonlitKnight]

16. Lawton Chiles - not Childs

Sorry to nit pick but I knew him and he was a great man. Deserves to have his name spelled correctly. And he died in office so I don’t agree with blaming him for Jeb! Bush getting elected. After all, he beat Jeb’s ass previously.

[Blue_true]

18. Sorry. My mind said Chiles, apparently my hand did something else. nt

[GulfCoast66]

17. No doubt about it.

We will get it next time. And the state Senate is within reach which would stop the blatant gerrymandering.

[Blue_true]

19. I believe the State Senate will be ours before the State House.

The simple reason is State Senate districts are larger, so it is harder for republicans to successfully gerrymander it like with House districts.

[GulfCoast66]

21. Agreed.

[rockfordfile]

20. I agree

[Blue_true]

13. You make a very good point about the US House seats.

They, more than other things reflect the increasing democratic tilt of the state. The Florida House and Senate have also become less republican.

What we need in Florida is more technology companies, a sunshine Silicon Valley, if you will. I believe that is developing around the Orlando area, where Disney has spun off a lot of computer animation and robotics companies.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. Jacksonville voted for a Democratic governor and Senator for the first time...

...in over 30 years in 2018.

[Blue_true]

9. There are more registered democrats than republicans in Florida statewide.

Around 100,000-300,000 more. Of course some of the democrats are old Dixiecrats that didn't change their historical party affiliation.

I remember reading an article that in 2019, there were around 35,000 more NEW democrats than new republicans. The number would be for first time registered in Florida.

Large swaths of Florida are going decidedly blue, the I4 corridor has become more reliably blue as the number of Hispanics has grown there.

[SoonerPride]

12. Restoring voting rights to former prison inmates

Is a huge demographic shift.

But the last thing I saw was the the Florida legislature was trying to monkey with that.

Anyone know if those former inmates have had their franchise restored?

[Blue_true]

14. A US Court of Appeal overruled the changes that DeSantis and the Florida Legistlature

made attempting to strip ex felons that qualified of the right to register to vote. Republicans know the numbers, the majority of those ex felons are African Americans that got sent to the big yard for Mickey Mouse crimes. Florida elections have tended to be real close, more democratic leaning voters that participate is curtains for republicans, hence their efforts to strip people of the right to vote. Another big wildcard is the number of Puerto Ricans that came to Florida to live after their island was devastated, they are US citizens that have immediate rights to vote in the state in all elections.

[SoonerPride]

23. Thanks for the information

I hadn’t heard about the judge stopping the Republican efforts to disenfranchise the recently re-enfranchised.

Also I hadn’t even thought about all the recently displaced
Puerto Ricans. That should definitely help Biden and all Democrats on the ballot in FL.

[Blue_true]

24. I think that it was a 3 Judge Court that over-ruled Florida. nt