Ziegler says Florida Democrat voter registration efforts won’t work because of ‘extreme agenda’

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Republican Party of Florida Chairman Christian Ziegler responded with skepticism to the Florida Democrats’ “Take Back Florida” tour, claiming their efforts are doomed to fail due to what he perceives as an “extreme agenda.”

As the 2024 election looms, the state has become a focal point of political attention, with former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis vying for their party’s nomination.

Republicans currently hold a significant advantage of over 500,000 voters in the state.

Democrats are determined to reclaim lost ground in Florida, launching a voter registration push with $1 million.

In November 2022, Democrats lost by a landslide in the state. Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said it was because the party did not do the “work on the ground” with voter registration efforts.

“Not having candidates that were inspiring for people to turn out,” she said.

Fried called the new vote-push an “opportunity” to engage with people who just moved to the state.

“This is an opportunity for us to go back into the field and talk to new people who have moved here to the state,” Fried said. “Our youth has not really been engaged. We have an entire plan for our Statewide Youth Program.”

However, Ziegler believes that the left’s agenda is turning voters away from the Democratic Party.

He pointed to what he describes as the “indoctrination, sexualization, and mutilation” of children, which he believes has alienated many Floridians, leading them to distance themselves from the Democratic cause.

Ziegler is referring to push from some Democrats to allow minors to undergo sex transition surgeries.

“What they’re pushing is stuff like indoctrinating, sexualizing and mutilating our children. And they’re openly pushing that type of agenda throughout our state and throughout our country,” Ziegler said. “Voters are turned off, and that’s why they’re fleeing the Democrat Party.”

The GOP chairman rejected the notion that money alone can change the situation, pointing to the Democrats’ previous $2 million campaign for voter registration, which was not enough to offset the loss of tens of thousands of voters.

“Last cycle, they had a $2 million campaign toward voter registration, and they actually lost. I think it was about 140,000 registered voters on the Democrat side,” Ziegler said. “So throwing money at this is not going to work.”

As both parties gear up for a fierce battle in Florida’s critical electoral battleground, Ziegler remains confident that the GOP’s support base is strong, built on opposition to what he considers an extreme and divisive Democratic agenda.