Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Nikki Fried speaks to the media on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Photo: Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix)
While the prospect of a blue wave in Florida elections this year remains uncertain, Democrats in the Sunshine State are seeing their first infusion of outside money to help them win back congressional seats since 2020.
The House Majority PAC announced Thursday an injection of $20 million into Florida’s congressional races this fall, targeting a handful of GOP-controlled seats ahead of the midterm elections. The news was first reported by the Miami Herald.
The Republican lawmakers the House Majority PAC are targeting are Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna, Laurel Lee, María Elvira Salazar, and Carlos Giménez in their respective districts.
Republicans hold 20 of the state’s 28 congressional seats and hope to increase their numbers by approving a new congressional redistricting map in a special legislative session scheduled to start Tuesday in Tallahassee.
Republicans around the nation are calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to push for an “aggressive” map to help get more Republicans elected in November, following the vote in Virginia on Tuesday night that could help Democrats notch four more seats in the House in the midterms. (That’s now tied up in court, however.)
That’s despite the fact that gerrymandering is illegal in Florida due to the Fair District Amendments passed by the voters in 2010.
The House Majority PAC said its ad and digital buys include $9 million in Miami with $2.3 million dedicated to Spanish-language advertising, $6.6 million in Tampa, and $3.9 million in Orlando.
The announcement is a huge shot in the arm for Florida Democratics, party Chair Nikki Fried, who not seen any money from Democratic-oriented political committees come to Florida since she took over leading the state party in 2023.
“There is no strategy to win the House without Florida, and national Democrats know it,” Fried said in a statement.
The belief Florida Democrats can be competitive this fall in a state where they’re outnumbered in party registration to the Republicans by nearly 1.5 million people stems from their two upset legislative victories in a special election last month.
Those results came in part from gaining strong support from NPA voters and even some Republicans who crossed over to support a Democrat.
Adding to Democratic confidence is that Donald Trump is suffering his lowest personal approval ratings in either of his two terms as president.