Democrats Dominate South Florida. Can this Impact the Future of the “Swing State.”
by Angela Rivas
Voting booths/photo courtesy of Flickr
Florida, the “purple state.”
Florida has long been viewed as a swing state, neither leaning red (Republican) or blue (Democrat). This can all change on November 8.
As midterm elections approach, Floridians will vote to fill important governmental seats, including U.S Senate, Governor, Attorney General, Congressional seats, among others.
Registered Republicans lead Florida as a whole with 5,233,366 voters.
Democrats follow closely behind with 4,963,722 voters according to the Florida Division of Elections.
But this is not the case in South Florida.
Democrats lead South Florida with 1,779,701 registered voters.
Republicans trail behind with 1,371,102 registered voters in counties such as: Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
No Party Affiliation holds only 924 fewer voters than Republicans with 1,370,128. Florida’s Minor party holds the smallest number of registered voters with a total of 78,381.
The question remains: Will this impact midterm elections?
Florida holds closed primaries, meaning that you can only vote for the party you are registered in.
Miami-Dade, a mainly Democratic County, holds the most registered voters in South Florida, with a total of 1,515,885.
Since the 2020 election, the fate of democrats in the county was shaken when two House seats in Miami-Dade became Republican.
Now, the county is facing low approval rates of President Joe Biden from Hispanic voters.
According to Republican Senator Marco Rubio, Hispanic voters in Miami-Dade are concerned over inflation that has occurred in the Biden administration.
The results coming out of Miami-Dade County can be a prediction of whether the Democratic Party can win Florida in the 2024 presidential election, according to Politico.
Hendry county on the other hand, is the least populous region of South Florida with a population of 40,313 residents.
They have the smallest number of registered voters, with 8,069 registered Republicans and only 258 registered Minor voters.
Hendry County turnout is historically low among the other South Florida counties and in the 2016 presidential election they had the lowest voter turnout in Florida.
“Only 64.5 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. Two years later, in the midterms, Hendry stayed at the bottom with 50.5 percent. It’s a pattern”, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
While being a Republican County, they have no voter presence to impact midterm or presidential elections by electing a republican official for office, despite efforts from local officials to do so.
Each South Florida county has the power to dictate the election on November 8 and can determine the fate of the “purple state.”
