Unlike some key states and Republicans, Florida Democrats missed out on the historic “blue wave” in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, but the state’s “red wall” does not appear as solid as it once was.
Governor Ron DeSantis said that Florida had escaped the worst of what he called a near-catastrophe—an event that could have led to the extinction of the Republican Party, the likes of which we haven’t seen in 100 years, declared DeSantis, adding that if Amendment 3 hadn’t been on the ballot, he’s not sure that Republicans would have mobilized as many voters as they did. According to him, people wanted to vote ‘yes’ on that issue, and many of them then voted Republican for the other offices up for election.
Although Democrats gained seats in the Florida Legislature, Republicans won the statewide elections, and Amendment 3—which will increase the property tax exemption on primary residences—passed with 62% of the vote, exceeding the 60% threshold required for approval.
According to Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, “additional support from the party would have helped reverse the trend.” In the race for governor, for example, Byron Donalds, who had Trump’s backing, held a significant fundraising advantage—$173 million compared to about $27 million for the Democratic candidate, David Jolly.
In the end, Republican Donalds won with 50.02% of the vote, compared to 48.71% for Democrat Jolly. Donalds made history by becoming the state’s first elected Black governor. Donalds won by a margin of just 107,686 votes. Ms. Fried told reporters the day after the election that Democrats accomplished all of this without any major national investment here in our state, adding that : « For years, Florida has been considered a lost cause by those who believe the state is no longer competitive and is too expensive. I hope they’re paying attention this morning.”
Results
In the Senate race, Republican Ashley Moody won the election with 50.9% of the vote, compared to 48% for Democrat Angie Nixon. Moody’s seat will be up for re-election in 2028; she is serving out the remaining six years of the term of Marco Rubio, the former Florida senator who became U.S. Secretary of State.
And despite the redistricting of the state’s electoral map, in the Southeast region, Democrats Jared Moskowitz, Lois Frankel, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz were all reelected as representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives, with 51.3%, 65.6%, and 74.4% of the vote, respectively.
In Miami-Dade County, Republican Carlos Gimenez was reelected with 52.9% of the vote, and Democrat Oliver Gilbert III won with 80.7%, succeeding longtime Democratic Representative Frederica Wilson, who retired. The votes for Republican Maria Salazar and Democrat Eliott Rodriguez are being recounted because the race is so close.
At the state level, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Treasurer Blaise Ingoglia, and Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson—all Republicans—won with 50.83%, 50.83%, and 50.97% of the vote, respectively.
In the state legislature, Democrats won 15 new seats in the State House of Representatives, causing Republicans to lose their supermajority. Democrats notably won seats in the southern part of the state, where Elizabeth Holmes, a teacher, defeated Trump-backed Meg Weinberger. Democrat Michael Ferguson (32), a veteran and lawyer, won a seat in Broward County that Republicans had controlled for nearly 50 years, as Chip LaMarca’s term was coming to an end.
Translated with Deepl