BY BUDDY NEVINS
It’s over.
If you already weren’t convinced that the Democrats have again let the governor and U. S. Senate races slip from their fingers, the following is two bits of news.
The newspaper today the very heavily GOP community at the end of Florida’s Turnpike call The Villages says:
“Sumter County may have just opened its early voting sites on Tuesday, but it’s already No. 1.
When the first day of early in-person voting ended in Sumter, the county already had achieved about a 20.8% turnout rate — the highest in the state thus far.”
The overwhelming votes in Sumter County, home of The Villages, are surely Republican.
And then there is this:
“Governor Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio hold double digit leads over their Democratic opponents, a new poll shows.”
The poll is from the University of North Florida. The report was published in newspapers across the state, including Jacksonville, Tallahassee, West Palm Beach and many others.
We’ve seen it all before. For decades the Democrats have whittled away their former lead in Florida through incompetence and positions that they can not adequately explain to the public.
Years of Democratic losses have evaporated the party’s organization in much of the state.
Few, if any, activists in huge swaths of the state means no Democratic party clubs. Hardly any precinct committee people. No one to carry the Democratic message to the grassroots.
Added to that mix are DeSantis’ political skills. He is perhaps the most able politician in the governor’s mansion in many, many years.
As a campaigner, he can sum up his stance in the one simply sentence he often uses to greet supporters: “Welcome to free state of Florida.”
His voters interpret the sentence to mean freedom from regulation. Freedom from government overreach. Freedom from high taxes.
Meanwhile, Crist has trouble succinctly explaining his positions.
DeSantis may be the bane of the New York Times, MSNBC, Brooklyn Heights and Beverly Hills. But his appeal in Florida just keeps growing and not just among Republicans. If the latest poll numbers are believe, he is winning some Democrats and many registered independents, too.
Right now DeSantis is beating Crist 55 to 41 percent, according to that UNF survey. The results has been mirrored in other polls.
It’s a disaster for the Democrats and they seem to know it.
The crowds at DeSantis rallies are excited and energized. The few who show up for Crist are listless, going through the motions.
Florida is no longer a swing state…if it ever was one.
Florida is Deep, Deep Red….and getting redder.
Although it appears that the statewide contests are over, some local races are still in play. Especially the campaigns for School Boards and for judges. Tamarac, Plantation, Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale also have particularly spirited races.
Florida’s big races may be foregone conclusions. Your vote can still make a difference in the county and city you live in by voting.
This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
