Duval County is one of eight counties in Florida with more Democrats than registered Republicans.
In August of this year, The Florida Daily reported on how new Republican leadership was closing the gap in voter registration between local Republicans and Democrats.
In August, Duvall Republicans narrowed that gap to just under 10,000 points. Now, less than two months later, that number has nearly halved to about 5,000.
When new leaders were elected last December, they said their goal was to increase their presence in the community in terms of voter registration.
“The Duval County Republican Party continues to produce new Republicans across the city, and with our expert training team, voter outreach and community engagement, we are closing the gap,” said Duval County Republican Party Chairman Charles Barr.
Mr. Barr’s leadership and team are unusual. The party has used volunteers to campaign in areas where Republicans did not have a strong presence in past elections.
Their voter outreach efforts target not only the Black community, but also the Albanian, Cambodian, Ukrainian, Hispanic, Filipino and veteran communities, and they also engage in dialogue with union members.
“Instead of just talking, we’re getting on the ground and listening to these groups. That’s why we’re steadily closing the gap,” Barr said.
“Less than a year ago, when I became Duval County Republican Party Chair, the Republican Party trailed the Democratic Party in registration by more than 12,000 people. Since then, we have made great strides in closing that gap, and today, thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteers and the strength of the Republican Party, the gap has closed to about 5,000 people,” Barr said.
