Florida Democrats launch 'coordinated campaign' to bring voters back to the party

James Call, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read
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Florida Democrats have launched a campaign to reenroll voters
Florida Democrats have launched a campaign to reenroll voters
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The Florida Democratic Party has announced a "coordinated campaign" to begin this weekend with a voter registration drive in 10 counties.

The effort will be boosted by more than $2 million in contributions the party received in the past six months, according to a statement released by the party Wednesday.

But the hill to climb is steep.

Since Gov. Ron DeSantis won election by less than half of a percentage point in 2018, the GOP has been able to build an 851,000 lead in registered voters over Democrats, capture every statewide elected office and stand up supermajorities in the Florida House and Senate.

Party chair Nikki Fried said a coalition of House and Senate campaign committees, Ruth’s List Florida, the Miami mayoral campaign of Daniella Levine Cava and others will work to reenroll Floridians by mail and elect Democrats.

“It’s one of the most important tools we have,” Fried said about the effort to reelect President Joe Biden, defeat incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and break the Republican supermajority in Tallahassee.

Abortion issue expected to drive new Democratic voter efforts

Democrats are counting on a Republican-driven 6-week abortion ban, which goes into effect next month, to send Florida voters into the Democratic column this November. Under DeSantis, the window for an abortion in Florida has shrunk by two-thirds, from 24 weeks to six.

Meanwhile, voters in seven states have passed initiatives to protect access since the U.S. Supreme Court returned abortion regulations to the states.

Candidates will share the November ballot in Florida voters with an initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. It is expected supporters and opponents will spend heavily to promote their side of the argument.

The Take Back Florida Coordinated Campaign will open offices in south and central Florida in the coming weeks. Voter Registration Weekends of Action will debut in 10 counties this Saturday. Party officials said details are pending.

According to campaign finance reports, the Florida Democratic Party currently has about $17 million on hand. The Republican Party of Florida reports about $20 million. 

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Democrats seek to close voter registration gap with GOP