Under 18,000 New Democrats Registered in Florida Since DeSantis’ Victory in 2018, 500,000+ New Republicans
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – According to data from the Florida Division of Elections, Florida Democrats added just under 20,000 new voters since Gov. Ron DeSantis’ victory in 2018.
On the other hand, Republicans are reported to have added over half a million.
Christian Ziegler, Vice Chairman of the Florida GOP, celebrated the huge strides made by Republicans of the Sunshine State: “The biggest number in Florida Politics that no one is talking about: 17,197. While Florida has added 1,037,685 net new voters since [Ron DeSantis’] 2018 Victory, the Democrat Party only managed to convince 17,197 of them to register as a Democrat.”
The data comes from the Florida Department of State. As of October 9, 2018, around 4.6 million voters were Republicans, increasing to around 5.2 million as of July 25, 2022, rounding out their gain to ~509,420.
Democrats went from ~4.944 million to ~4.962 million, a negligible difference of just ~17,197.
Total voters in Florida increased from ~13.2 million to ~14.3 million, an increase of ~1.037 million. Around half of those new voters were Republicans, while just under 2% were Democrat.
Ziegler told Florida’s Voice that the data shows “no one is doing it better in American than Florida.”
“Governor DeSantis is delivering on the important issues, our Florida GOP County leaders are executing on the ground and voters in every corner of our state are resonating with our record while showcasing a historic rejection of the Democrat Party,” he said.
The massive voter registration gains came as a result of a team effort from some of the state’s most influential Republicans.
Gov. Ron DeSantis in late-2021 poured around $2 million into the Florida GOP’s voter registration efforts, back before the Republicans officially overtook Democrats in party registrations. $250,000 was also poured into the effort by other Republican campaign arms, helping fuel the surge.
Wilton Simpson, State Senate President and current GOP nominee for agriculture commissioner, said “critical investments in voter registration are the keys to keeping Florida from turning into California or New York.”
Ziegler cautioned that while the data is a great sign for Republicans, they should not become complacent.
“And while the data is great, we cannot afford to let up at this point. The Governor has fought for us every single moment of every single day for the past four years, the least we can all do is fight for him from now until Election Day to help strengthen the foundation he has laid in Florida,” he said. “The Florida GOP is committed to the fight and we will not take our foot off of the gas until Governor DeSantis achieves victory, freedom in Florida is protected for generations to come and the Democrat Party is extinct in our state.”
The party is lead by Chairman Joe Gruters. He was elected to his second term as the chairman in 2021, continuing his efforts to bolster GOP registration efforts: “I look forward to working alongside the best Governor in the nation in Governor Ron DeSantis to ensure his re-election and successful mid-term elections. We are more united In Florida than ever,” Gruters remarked.
Republican activist Scott Pressler celebrated the good news from Republicans, thanking DeSantis, Gruters, and Ziegler.
“This is massive! Thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, the state continues to become more conservative. The @FloridaGOP is also one of the best state parties in the nation, led by @JoeGruters & @ChrisMZiegler,” he said. “Let’s keep registering voters.” Pressler toured the state earlier this year to register Republicans to vote.
Republicans reportedly overtook Democrats in November 2021. Their lead expanded by the tens of thousands, now at its largest gap in state history edging towards the 300,000 mark.
In 2019, not long after the governor took office, DeSantis quickly put Florida on a path to clean up voter rolls, joining the Electronic Registration Information Center to “enhance the security and integrity of Florida’s elections.”
“Since taking office, we have been reviewing this issue with Supervisors of Elections. We are confident that by improving the accuracy of our voter rolls, we will reduce the potential for voter fraud,” he said.
Along with party registration pushes by the GOP, a record amount of Americans have moved to the Sunshine State during and after COVID-19 restrictions. The state saw the highest in-migration numbers in the country, also topping off the list in tourism, higher education, and economic freedom. A Rasmussen poll found Florida is the most desirable state to live.
As the Democrats continue their push to defeat DeSantis in November, Charlie Crist still trails in the polls, sags in fundraising, and his running mate, Karla Herandez-Mats, is embattled in a new controversy almost weekly, ranging from “sp-ed” comments to “mourn” for Fidel Castro.
Florida’s Voice previously reported that the Democrat Party of Florida is in “disarray” according to some Republicans. It also came out that some strategists said Florida is “slipping away” as donors reportedly were putting money in other states.
“The symptoms currently plaguing the Democrat Party in Florida point back to the virus that is the failed leadership in Washington DC and the disastrous extreme anti-American values leading the state and local Democrats further away from their constituents,” said Lee County GOP Chairman Jonathan Martin.
“Their entire platform is to be against whatever Ron DeSantis does, but they’re never telling the voters what they’re for, what they have to offer, and what they can do better,” State Rep. Spencer Roach said.
“You can tell Florida Democrats are in trouble when Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried are the best candidates they can offer. From what we are told, Democrat donors would agree,” Republican Party of Florida Executive Director Helen Aguirre Ferre said.
The general election will be held on Nov. 8.
