WILDWOOD, Fla. — In just a few short weeks, Florida voters will help decide who will occupy the White House for the next four years.
What You Need To Know
- Many registered voters live outside 10 most populous Florida counties
- Rural voters remain a critical voting bloc for Republican candidates
- FULL COVERAGE: Decision 2020: Everything you need to know to be an informed voter
That includes a significant share of rural voters, like Sean WIlliams, who may play a bigger role this time than in 2016.
As owner of PSL Construction, Williams has spent more than 21 years building in his hometown in Sumter County.
Of Florida’s more than 13.8 million registered voters, more than 8.2 million voters can be found in the state’s 10 most populous counties: Miami Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Orange, Duval, Pinellas, Lee, Polk, Brevard, and Broward. The counties above, combined, have 2.4 million registered Republicans, 3.3 million registered Democrats, and 2.4 million voters registered with "no party affiliation/other."
President Donald Trump has had dozens of personal, official, and campaign trips to Florida since February 2019, far more than the half-dozen trips from former Vice President Joe Biden. Both have spent significant shares of time in the more populated counties.
But rural counties are important for Republicans, because in the remaining 57 counties, the GOP remains strong. In Sumter County alone, Republicans outnumber Democrats 2 to 1.
WATCH: See the story above about how rural voters will play a role in November's general election. Candidates tend to focus their campaign trips to Florida’s most populated counties, where Republicans trail registered Democrats and those without any party affiliation.