Policy
GOP voter edge in Florida now tops more than 450,000
Florida Democrats historically held a registration advantage, but Republicans overtook them in 2021.
The Republican Party of Florida last month continued to extend its voter-registration advantage over the Florida Democratic Party.
Data posted last week on the state Division of Elections website showed that the GOP had 5,309,005 registered voters as of March 31, while the Democratic Party had 4,854,087.
That 454,918-voter edge was larger than a 436,990-voter advantage at the end of February.
The new data also showed that 4,049,356 voters were registered without party affiliation as of March 31, while third-party voters totaled 267,513.
Democrats historically held a registration edge, but Republicans overtook them in 2021.
Gov. Ron DeSantis broke the news that November, announcing that, “for the first time in the history of Florida, we've now overtaken Democrats,” during a National Conference of State Legislatures Republican breakfast in Tampa.
Even as Democrats historically had a registration edge, however, Republicans have dominated state politics for more than two decades, controlling the governor’s office, the state House and the state Senate.
More recently, leading up to the November 2022 election, Republicans held about a 306,000-voter advantage.
“Gov. DeSantis’ results-driven leadership continues to draw new voters into our state and to the Republican Party,” Republican Party of Florida spokesperson Julia Friedland said Monday.
“In contrast, Florida Democrats continue to turn voters off, solidifying their party’s reputation as a ‘dead, rotten carcass on the side of the road,’ ” she added.
A spokesperson for the Florida Democratic Party did not respond to a request for comment.
City & State Florida staff contributed.
NEXT STORY: Five bills Florida's business community is focused on this session