MIAMI — When Miami-Dade County helped elect President Trump in November, political operatives here realized the worst of their fears when they effectively took on a conservative bend after nearly 30 years of solid blue. Florida was actually a red state.
Signs of major political change in southern Florida were seen in several cycles, including the victory of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) 2022, when he flipped Metropolitan County for the first time in more than 20 years.
“The Florida-based Democratic strategist Steve Cher, who ran Obama’s 2008 business in his state,” said: “At my party, especially at parties outside of Florida, I thought Obama ’12. [Hillary] The Clinton ’16 figures in Miami were signs that the county had become a progressive fortress. ”
“But we’re talking about the authoritarian government of socialism and where most people came here to escape crime, so imagine when people on the extreme left try to justify something like “democratic socialism,” how it sounds to the ears of families who left everything behind, or families who came here are looking for safety to hear something like “defund the Police.”
Another longtime democratic operative in Florida said losing Miami-Dade was a “gut punch” for Democrats.
“We could see train writers coming before the crash happened, but that was a particularly painful moment for Democrats who care about this state,” the operative said.
Florida Democrats are seeing problems in Florida as a result of years of neglect following Obama’s 2012 victory. However, they say they have not given up trying to return Sunshine State to Purple State territory. In fact, they say they are doubling their efforts.
“We’re still rebuilding, but we’ve had a lot of success,” Nikki Fried, chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, said in an interview with Hill.
Freed noted that there was an 8% increase in democratic voter turnout from the 2020 election to the 2024 election. She also believes in the work the party has done to generate benefits for the school board and county board. Miami-Dade’s Daniela Levine Cava (D) could also win a significant re-election in 2024, even if the county went in a different direction.
Still, Fried admitted that there was “a lot to do and the resources we brought to the state to do the job.”
Florida’s Democrat voter affiliation has been declining rapidly since 2020. The state’s Republican affiliation also increased, surpassing the hair in 2021, reaching almost 1,500,000 in late June.
Political observers attribute the dramatic shift in party affiliation to many factors, including the massive migration of Republican voters to the nation during the Republican pandemic. President Trump, who lives in Palm Beach, attracted top Republican operatives and donors during the rise of Party Stardom.
Some Democrats don’t seem to be convinced that there was a lot of movement in their direction. “I don’t think things will get better or worse on the organisational and operational aspects of things,” Cher said.
He added that there is “still a lot of donor skepticism and donor fatigue” about the state’s latest cycle. But Democrats can move gradually with key victories in the next cycle, Cher said.
“Success in 2026 shows profits and improvements. If you do, you can insist on your donor that there is a trajectory that you can invest in,” he said.
“You’ll get back on track by fixing what you can fix and gaining success,” he added, referring to the work Democrats can do to improve their position with Hispanic voters.
And since Trump recently came across polls and message, strategists say it’s a good time for Democrats to snag and try to regain national momentum.
“if [Republicans] Now, Trump continues to push for these policies that he is calling for the president’s minimum approval rate at this point in the second semester. I think it will create an environment in which Florida voters will say, “Look, it’s time for change, and the only change I have now is challenging the Democrats.”
He added that Florida’s desire for change is exacerbated by the “unprecedented affordability crisis” of Republicans who had full control of the state government for almost 30 years.
Despite the ripe moments, strategists say it’s still a heavy lift for Democrats to retake voters at least soon.
“I live here. I have to be an optimist…but I’m also a realist. It’s hard, and there’s a lot to do,” Cher said.
But efforts are ongoing, including the Florida Democrats’ Pendurum Initiative, a year-round organisational program Fried said. Freed also pointed to the party’s front porch swing initiative, which aims to listen to voters in rural Florida and meet where they are.
Even a small victory in 2024, Freed said there is a lesson to learn from the overall losses of 2024.
Democrats had more than $1 billion in media nationwide, but “At the end of the cycle, most voters said, ‘What’s the message?’ Fried said from the party.
“We missed Mark by plunging into everyday Floridians who don’t see us on traditional news stations,” she said.
Connecting with voters is especially important for now, as strategists have struggled with Democrats reaching the ballot box during the recent election cycle.
“[Democrats] “We have to gather and gather around a disciplined, intensive message of where voters are and where they are now, that they want a solution to this Republican-created affordable crisis,” Amandy said.
Strategists say Democrats, from parties to donors, have to invest their time and money in Florida if they want to get back into power.
“Florida is just going to continue to play a very important role in electoral college mathematics, so there’s no luxury to abolish Florida. “If you give in to a state like Florida or Texas, you essentially say you’re giving way to the White House as a Democrat.”
