ORLANDO, Fla. – Some national Democratic donors are waiting on the sidelines in Florida, stirring concerns among Democrats in the Sunshine State who are preparing to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis
The donor hesitancy comes as Democrats debate whether to invest in a state that has eluded their party in recent years. Florida Democrats suffered some of the worst defeats of any state party in the country last year, losing five seats in the GOP-controlled state House and two U.S. House seats that they had managed to flip in 2018.
Adding to their troubles was former President Trump
“Democrats are being far more scrutinizing of Florida and the state of politics there,” one Democratic donor said. “We’ve suffered from a Charlie Brown syndrome in the state, where the football gets pulled out from under us, so I think we have to look at that with more scrutiny.”
At the same time, national Democrats have begun eyeing former Republican strongholds like Georgia and Arizona with more enthusiasm after the party scored critical victories in those states last year, prompting some Democrats to wonder whether Florida is worth the money.
“The last election showed that we don’t need to rely on Florida or Ohio – that the map has kind of changed,” another donor who has given to Democrats nationwide said. “Is there still a focus on beating Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio? Absolutely. But I think we also need to be more discerning about where and how much to give.”
The 2020 election marked the first time in nearly three decades that Florida did not vote with the overall winner of the presidential race.
Instead, Biden’s win was propelled by gains in former “blue wall” states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as by victories in Arizona and Georgia, where Democrats also managed to win three key Senate races that helped them…
Read More: Democratic donors hesitant on wading into Florida midterm fights