Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said registered Republican voters are gaining on Democratic voters, saying that higher taxes and left-wing policies in other states have forced more to move to Florida in recent years.
“When Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, there were about 350,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state of Florida,” DeSantis, a Republican, told radio host Mark Levin. “Now, it’s less than a 180,000 differential, and we think ... it may be closer to 150,000.”
He added that “it will be the closest Republicans have ever been to Democrats in Florida in the history of the state. And I think that’s a testament to folks looking to Florida as a place where they can find greener pastures.”
“We see people who are fed up with high taxes in places like Illinois or the northeast, and they come down. I do think many of them are registering as Republicans because I think they understand that we’ve had laboratories of democracy in this country with the states doing different approaches, and approaches like Florida have been more successful,” the governor added. “So, I think the president is facing an electorate that is more inclined to vote for him in 2020 than the one that he successfully convinced to vote for him in 2016.”
Florida remains a must-win swing state in 2020.
“The campaign has always handed out masks, encouraged people to wear them, provided hand sanitizer,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in an interview with Fox News on Oct. 12. “Ultimately, you have a right in this country to show up and express your political viewpoint. That’s why we have peaceful protests. And you can’t have one standard for the protesters out there on one side but not for those wanting to express their First Amendment rights in support of this president.”
