Politics

Republicans Surpass Democrats In Florida Voter Registration For The First Time

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Font Size:

The number of registered Florida Republicans has exceeded that of the state’s registered Democrats for the first time in history, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday.

The long-coveted milestone was reached in October, with the ever-narrowing advantage of registered Democrats over state Republicans disappearing at last. While there were nearly 700,000 more Democrats than Republicans in Florida in 2008, this gap had shrunk to only 24,000 in September 2021, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

“Today for the first time in the history of Florida we’ve now overtaken Democrats,” DeSantis said at the National Conference of State Legislatures Friday.

“It’s good for us. But honestly … We would’ve probably won in New Jersey governor’s race, but all the Republicans move to Florida from New Jersey. They get so frustrated,” DeSantis said, to which the audience laughed.

The governor also said that although Florida’s low tax rates were the traditionally attractive feature for those willing to relocate to the state, many were now “fleeing the restrictions, the lawlessness and the crime.”

“I do think that you’re seeing people move to states that value freedom,” DeSantis added. (RELATED: Democratic Governors Association Abandons Florida Ambitions, Reportedly Won’t Support Candidates To Unseat DeSantis)

Florida GOP’s Executive Director Helen Aguirre Ferré commented on the news Friday, asserting that not only did the governor’s politics pull people to the party, but also Democrats’ peddling of socialist ideas pushed many, especially Hispanic and Latino voters, towards the Republican Party.

“The level of enthusiasm in support of registering Republicans is unprecedented, and this is a true milestone moment in Florida’s history,” Ferré said.