DeSantis has been a great guv. Cleaned up the voter fraud of S. Florida.
One major factor that is rarely mentioned is that the so-called motor voter law boosted GOP registration in Florida in that it spurred the Republican leaning retirees and families who moved to the state to register almost immediately upon arrival. The solidly GOP retirement community of The Villages alone now has over 140,000 residents.
In addition, the Florida's GOP's organizational development from the mid-1990s on has been a major plus for Republicans. A lot of elections to state and local office come down to three things where party organization makes a great difference: candidate recruitment; candidate support in the form of training, advice, funds, and people; and get out the vote.
I was part of the team in the Tallahassee GOP HQs for most of that period. Chairman Tom Slade, a former state senator, was a determined and skilled leader in the mid-90s who made sure that the state GOP HQs was well-funded and staffed by highly capable political operatives.
Repeatedly, in the closing weeks of election seasons, the GOP HQs in Tallahassee would be open with people at work nearly 24/7, but the Democrat HQs would keep bankers' hours. Their primary staffers and key field operatives ranged from unimpressive to incapable. As Republican strength grew, the Democratic party's organizational and HQs budgets declined.
And, after the last election, the GOP holds all the statewide political offices in Florida and has supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature. The Democrats are strong in the major urban areas though and have the benefit of support from the teachers unions, trial lawyers, and news media. The Democrats remain strong enough to be in contention when the GOP slips up.
Don’t forget Governor Rick Scott. After the 2018 elections he suspended the execrable Broward County elections supervisor Brenda Snipes from her duties.
Gee. A clean FL election in 2022 led to one of a darn few GOP Wave wins. What a surprise.