2024 election: Florida Democrats hope full field of candidates can turn fortunes around

Florida Democrats expect to have a full complement of state House and Senate contenders filing as candidates during this week's qualifying period , with the robust roster seen as a pivotal step toward reviving a party now at a historic low. 

Qualifying began noon Monday and continues until noon Friday. And while some House and Senate districts may look out of reach for Democrats because voter registration skews heavily Republican, the party still sees value in having a full field of candidates. 

Earlier this year, the party put up billboards around the state seeking candidates and officials since then have been tutoring contenders in the basics of campaigning.  

"In 2022, we left seats unchallenged, which resulted in low turnout for Democrats," said Danielle Hawk, director of candidates and campaigns for the Florida Democratic Party. She ran unsuccessfully that year for a congressional seat in the Gainesville area. 

"When we have candidates running everywhere, we give Democrats in every corner of the state a reason to show up and vote on Election Day," she added. 

The party tried a similar tactic in 2020, fielding candidates in all but one of the 131 legislative seats then on the ballot. It didn't change the party's minority standing in the Legislature, but President Biden did unseat President Trump that year nationally. 

Trump, though, carried Florida by 3.3%, more than double his 2016 margin. 

2022 election continues to haunt Democrats

For Florida Democrats, though, it's the dark memories of the 2022 elections that continue to haunt. More than 30 legislative seats that year drew no Democratic candidates, an early sign of what would prove to be a political debacle for Florida's once-dominant party. 

In November, Gov. Ron DeSantis was reelected by a 19 percentage point margin – the largest gap in a Florida governor's race in 40 years. 

DeSantis flipped counties that Biden had won: Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Duval. Turnout was a factor with registered Republicans casting ballots while plenty of Democrats gave the 2022 election a pass. 

In Miami-Dade, the biggest Democratic county in the state, 61% of registered Republican voted compared to only 46% of registered Democrats, state records showed. 

Election results left Democrats with no statewide officeholders. And when the dust settled, Republicans had picked up four congressional seats and Democrats were left facing GOP supermajorities in the state House and Senate. 

Democrats, though, also must contend with a changing Florida electorate. 

Well before the 2022 election, signs of trouble for Florida Democrats were evident. But at the end of 2021, Republicans edged out Democrats in registered voters statewide for the first time in modern Florida history.  

Since then, the GOP has built up a more than 900,000-voter advantage over Democrats. 

Democrats think ... there's a chance

Democratic leaders though, say that this year, there's a chance. "Having candidates running down ballot who are organizing in their communities will boost the top of the ticket," Hawk said. 

The party already has fielded candidates in every one of the state's 28 congressional districts, whose qualifying period was in April. Now, Democrats are expected to file in the 120 House seats and 20 Senate contests set for the ballot in November. 

Democrats say the lineup will help motivate Democrats and no party-affiliated voters, who now make up 26% of the state's electorate. In a polarized political year, NPAs could prove critical in many races. 

"NPAs can narrow the margins that are going to decide the outcome of many of these races," said Eden Giagnorio, a Florida Democratic Party spokeswoman. 

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Power, the Republican chair, predicted, "Republicans keep adding Republicans and we are going to win in November, and we are going to win big."  

But he conceded that by Friday's qualifying end, the GOP will likely have bypassed some House and Senate contests, especially when the partisan voter balance would make them longshots. 

"We are focused on winning, not moral victories," Power added. 

Democrats say driving their turnout in more community-focused legislative and congressional races translates into more votes for Biden, helping him compete against Trump the presumptive GOP nominee. 

And they could help the Democratic nominee against Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in November.  

Democrats will choose among a crowded field of candidates, led by former Miami U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, in the August primary. 

"Running for office is a deeply personal decision and it requires huge sacrifice by our candidates," Hawk said. "When the state party has someone to help them along the way and the party is willing to invest in them, they know they don't have to do it alone." 

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network's Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at  jkennedy2@gannett.com , or on X at @JKennedyReport .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Democrats say full field of contenders will help drive turnout