2025 & 2026 Elections

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In 2026, if the economy remains sour and with everything else going on, Paxton loses the general, I think. Depends on who the Dems run, perhaps, but Paxton is divisive in Texas and the GOP is just not understanding how election cycles work. Taking out their long time incumbent/ high leader in the Senate to run a crook reminds a bit of Herschel Walker instead of, oh, pretty much anyone else.
 
Last night Keishan Scott won a landslide over his republican counterpart. Delivering a 41 point thumping to become one of the youngest state legislators in the country.

Yeah ... but ... he won in a +5 Harris area against a black republican in a special election. So, there's that. It's not like picking off Lady G herself.
 

Covid changed that state. I remember going in 2020 to Disney in November. They required masks at the parks but you would have never guessed a pandemic was going on around every other part of the state. We stopped at a gas station in some small town and went in with our masks and I swear the woman at the register looked at us like she had never seen masks before much less on someone.
 
Covid changed that state. I remember going in 2020 to Disney in November. They required masks at the parks but you would have never guessed a pandemic was going on around every other part of the state. We stopped at a gas station in some small town and went in with our masks and I swear the woman at the register looked at us like she had never seen masks before much less on someone.
So true. By Memorial Day 2020 COVID was over at my beach house in NE Fla. Huge crowds at restaurants and bars w no masks. Loved going there to get away from the misery of ATL. Also, when I went to the Orange Bowl in Jan 2021, Ft Lauderdale was WIDE OPEN with young people partying in the streets. Free State of Florida was born.
 
Certainly changing demographics and a backlash over covid have played a major role in Florida becoming a deep red state, but the long-term incompetence and dumpster fire aspect of the Florida Democratic Party certainly hasn't helped. Even before the changes since covid Florida's Democrats had a long record of bungling and self-inflicted disasters. This is a state party that hasn't elected a governor since 1994, a US Senator since 2012, doesn't control a single elected statewide office, and hasn't controlled either house of the state legislature in nearly three decades. In 2018 they did come very close to winning the governor and senate races, but that's about the only bright spot.

In 2022 they ran an over-the-hill, well past-his-prime Republican-turned-Democrat for governor and not surprisingly got crushed, and as of right now one of their leading candidates for governor next year is - wait for it - yet another Republican-turned-Democrat. It's very unlikely that Florida Democrats are going to win running candidates that are basically Republican Lite, as Florida voters will simply vote for the real thing rather than the blander, "diet" substitute. The Florida GOP organization is vastly superior to the Democratic one in almost every way, and until that changes their fortunes won't start to change either.
 
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Certainly changing demographics and a backlash over covid have played a major role in Florida becoming a deep red state, but the long-term incompetence and dumpster fire aspect of the Florida Democratic Party certainly hasn't helped. Even before the changes since covid Florida's Democrats had a long record of bungling and self-inflicted disasters. This is a state party that hasn't elected a governor since 1994, a US Senator since 2012, doesn't control a single elected statewide office, and hasn't controlled either house of the state legislature in nearly three decades. In 2018 they did come very close to winning the governor and senate races, but that's about the only bright spot.

In 2022 they ran an over-the-hill, well past-his-prime Republican-turned-Democrat for governor and not surprisingly got crushed, and as of right now one of their leading candidates for governor next year is - wait for it - yet another Republican-turned-Democrat. It's very unlikely that Florida Democrats are going to win running candidates that are basically Republican Lite, as Florida voters will simply vote for the real thing rather than the blander, "diet" substitute. The Florida GOP organization is vastly superior to the Democratic one in almost every way, and until that changes their fortunes won't start to change either.
You drastically over inflate the influence of National and State Political Parties.

Parties have rarely determined nominees or policies for decades.
 
You drastically over inflate the influence of National and State Political Parties.

Parties have rarely determined nominees or policies for decades.
I don't agree, especially when it comes to Florida, but I have no interest in arguing the point with you late on a Saturday night, so I'll leave it at that.
 
You drastically over inflate the influence of National and State Political Parties.

Parties have rarely determined nominees or policies for decades.
Exactly. Party organization and candidate quality can make some differences at the edges (2024 NC governor race proves that) but Florida's party affiliation changes suggest some deeper demographic change.

I'd think the most logical argument would be that more Republicans than Democrats have moved to Florida in the last decade. That would be my first supposition to explain the changes.
 
Wait, Florida has some Democrats residing there?
The Floridians I know (my parents graduated from High School in Alachua County in the mid-late-‘50’s)……so, they’re OLD……..
Most were Conservative Democrats (I.e.; segregationists)…….some as the years went by quit being assholes……..not one is a Trumplican. Plenty of Trumplicans are assholes who grew up in Florida; plenty are from northern climes who flew Confederate battle flags or applauded those who did.
 
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