WASHINGTON — After two high profile Florida Democrats narrowly lost in statewide races in the 2018 midterm elections, the party is attempting to pick up the pieces ahead of the crucial 2020 presidential election.

  • Florida Democrats poised to re-strategize ahead of 2020 election
  • Many wonder if Florida has become more reliably Republican
  • House Democrats already looking to expand on victories in midterms

The election results now leave many wondering if the Sunshine State is becoming more reliably Republican.

“We came up short as Florida Democrats, and it’s heartbreaking,” said Eric Jotkoff, a prominent Democratic Strategist in Washington, D.C.

This past election, Republicans held on to the governor’s mansion for the sixth midterm in a row, defeated a three-term incumbent Senator and built on their majority in the state legislature. However, no one deeply involved in politics in the state is ready to declare Florida a red state just yet.

Jotkoff knows the political landscape in the state well. He worked on President Barack Obama’s winning presidential campaign in Florida. In a state, some call the microcosm of the country, the party now is attempting to understand why their two candidates at the top of the ticket were narrowly defeated.

“We can’t afford to wait and not get prepared, and that’s something that Florida Democrats sadly for too long have done, to wait until the August and September before an election to really start organizing,” Jotkoff explained.

Florida Democrats embraced two completely different candidates this cycle. Andrew Gillum, a young, diverse progressive newcomer for Governor and long-time incumbent moderate Bill Nelson in the U.S. Senate. The 2018 midterm results did little to clarify what kind of Democrat can win in the Sunshine State.

“Democrats are in a tough spot for 2020 because the Republicans have really been building their party organization, their party apparatus,” said Michele Swers, a professor of American Government at Georgetown University. “They have a lot of catching up to do.”

While only one statewide Democrat in Florida was elected this cycle, Swers, originally from Sarasota, Fla. said a different electorate is likely to head to the polls in 2020.

“In a midterm elections, you have lower voter turnout than you’re going to have in a presidential year, so it depends on whose voters are fired up,” Swers explained.

The Sunshine State was a bright spot for Republicans in an otherwise grim election year, and they’re hoping to build on the momentum.

“Democrats are going to want to win Florida and the Republicans are going to need to win Florida, so I would expect both campaigns are going to compete hard for it,” said Alex Conant, a prominent Republican Strategist in Washington DC and Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign spokesman in 2016.

“The results in 2018 tell you a lot about the strength of the Republican Party inside Florida, but Florida is always competitive,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the political spectrum, Democrats are examining their strategy moving forward. Jotkoff said Democrats in 2020 will need to reach out to both their base and moderate swing voters to gain ground in Florida.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work. It’s going to take a lot of patience and it’s going to take a lot of resources,” he said.

House Democrats are already looking to expand on their victories in the midterms. This week, they unveiled their initial 2020 battlefield map. They plan to target two Republican held seats in Florida, Rep. Ross Spano (R) 15th District and Rep. Brian Mast (R) 18th District.