Florida Republicans eclipse nearly 500,000 voter lead over Democrats

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – According to new data from the Florida Division of Elections, Florida Republicans now outnumber state Democrats by nearly 500,000 registered voters.

The data, which extends through May 31, found that Florida is host to 5,311,365 Republicans and 4,815,215 Democrats – a GOP lead of 496,150.

At Republicans’ current rate of gains over Democrats, they likely already surpassed the 500,000 mark as the end of June nears.

Data that goes back to November 2022 shows that the Florida Democratic Party continues to hemorrhage voters, losing 154,162 voters since then.

Republicans have also been losing voters, but only 14,224 since November, a differential compared to Democrats of 139,938.

In April, Republicans’ lead was increased to 472,789; in March, 454,918; in February, 436,990; and in January, 417,309.

A large portion of the registration loss can occur due to the Department of State clearing out voter rolls. According to the department, in 2023 so far, more than 109,000 active and 6,800 inactive voters have been removed.

This year, 206,947 voters have been added.

Speaking with Florida’s Voice, Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler noted that the party has made huge strides, at one point trailing Democrats by 250,000 to now around 500,000.

“In just four and a half years, The State of Florida has gone from having about 250,000 more Registered Democrats than Registered Republicans to now over 500,000 more Republicans than Democrats,” Ziegler said.

That change represents a net 750,000 voter shift.

“[The shift] clearly showcases both the strength of the Republican Party and the expedited extinction of the Democrat Party in the Sunshine State, which cannot happen soon enough,” Ziegler continued. “Our children and grandchildren will thank us for the voter registration gains we are experiencing today.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 campaign celebrated the news, saying Florida went from “swing” to “red” thanks to DeSantis.

“As the Republican presidential nominee, he will build the same successful coalition and win the White House, no excuses,” press secretary Bryan Griffin said.

Evan Power, vice chairman of the Florida GOP, said the party “keeps building on the ground” and that their efforts will “lead to bigger and bigger wins.”

“Total coincidence,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, reacted to the news.

“There’s a clear blueprint for wining elections, you just have to use it,” commentator Dave Rubin said.

Earlier this year, both state parties elected new leadership. The Republicans chose Ziegler to be party chairman while Democrats elected former gubernatorial candidate and former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.

Republicans recently suffered a mayoral defeat in Jacksonville, with Democrat Donna Deegan winning the position over Daniel Davis by several points, Fried’s first major victory as chairwoman.

Duval County is one of the counties across Florida where Democrats still hold a registration lead, but Republicans are closing the gap there to the tune of thousands over just a single month.

Looking to future elections, Ziegler and the Florida GOP launched the “Blue County Strategy Committee,” which will be focused on “picking off” Democrat-held seats at every level of government. Alachua, Broward, Gadsden, Leon and Orange County will be its prime focus, along with targeting battleground counties.

Ziegler also launched the “Early Vote Operations Committee” further aimed at boosting turnout.

“News out of Wisconsin tonight is that we lost the vital Supreme Court seat due to Democrats outperforming us in Early Voting… That isn’t going to happen in Florida,” Ziegler said. “We are going to aggressively go after every ballot and bank votes as soon as possible.”