Florida has reportedly experienced a major shift in its number of Republican and Democrat registered voters.
Recent figures show that the state, which was “purple” with a nearly even split between the two parties, has turned “deep red,” the Daily Mail reported on Friday.
Incredible new data shows how Republicans now far outnumber Democrats in a state that was once deep purple https://t.co/Av8vqMTsIy pic.twitter.com/EipHmapj7A
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) August 10, 2024
The outlet said the change happened after 2022 when Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) won his gubernatorial race. The report continued:
In Florida, there are now 5.3 million residents registered to vote as Republicans versus 4.3 million Democrats, with the official margin around 995,000.
It’s a complete turnaround from the GOP, as in the year before DeSantis was elected, 2017, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a count of 4.8 million to 4.5 million.
The Mail report further noted the state began turning red after former President Donald Trump settled there in 2021. It also mentioned that people have been fleeing blue states to make their homes in the Sunshine State.
Data from March reportedly showed that Republicans in Florida boasted a massive voter-registration advantage over Democrats at the time, according to Breitbart News:
According to Florida’s Voice, which looked at voter registration data at the county level, Florida Republicans led Democrats by 854,318 registered voters as of early March. This is significant, as it shows the Florida GOP has not lost its momentum since overtaking Democrats in November 2021.
Historically, Florida is a swing state. It voted blue in 2008 and 2012. However, it shifted support to Trump in 2016 and 2020, the outlet explained.
The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) said in March that the state is “solid red,” according to Breitbart News, which explained more of its voting background.
“Florida has voted blue four times in presidential elections since 1976, going for Jimmy Carter in 1976, Bill Clinton in 1996, and Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012. In recent history, all of these elections have been fairly tight,” the article said.
Per an Emerson College survey from April, a majority of registered voters in the Sunshine State are “more motivated” to cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election than they were in the past, Breitbart News reported.