How Ron DeSantis flipped Florida's traditional political strongholds in 2022
In short: In the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis secured a landslide victory that shifted the state's political landscape. By winning key Democratic strongholds and capturing a majority of Latino voters, he achieved a margin of victory unseen in decades, prompting analysts to debate Florida's transition from a swing state to a red state.
The November 8, 2022, election saw Republican Ron DeSantis win re-election with 59.4 percent of the vote. A 19.4% margin of victory was achieved, marking the highest for any Republican in state history and the biggest since 1982 for a Florida gubernatorial race. It was also the first time a candidate won the governorship by more than a million votes or by double digits since 2002.
A critical component of this victory was DeSantis's performance in traditionally Democratic areas. He captured Miami-Dade County, a bastion that last supported Republicans in 2002, plus Palm Beach County, which hadn't gone Republican since 1986. He also secured Hillsborough, Osceola, Pinellas, and St. Lucie counties for the initial time since 2006. This trend helped Democratic candidate Charlie Crist gather 39.97% of the total votes—his poorest result since 1916.
Demographic shifts were equally significant. DeSantis won 65% of White voters and 58% of Latino voters, including 69% of Cubans and 56% of Puerto Ricans. He also secured a majority of Latina women in Florida. This performance marked the first time a Florida Republican had won a majority of Hispanic voters in decades. As a result, Republicans won all other statewide races by double digits, meaning Democrats did not hold any statewide positions, a first since the end of Reconstruction.
The election's outcome has led some analysts to suggest that Florida is transitioning from a swing state into a red state. Such a change was underscored by the fact that no Democrat has won the Florida governorship since 1994.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 2022 Florida gubernatorial election
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