Republicans are already outpacing Democrats in early voting numbers in Florida.
Fresh Take Florida’s tracking database showed that Republicans had overtaken Democrats by Thursday morning. By then, 794,199 Republicans had already received mail-in ballots or had voted early compared to only 793,066 Democrats, giving republicans a 1,000-point lead. That lead continued to expand through the day.
While Republicans usually vote more than Democrats when all is said and done, it is unusual for them to hold the lead in early voting only 12 days out, especially given Donald Trump’s vocal criticisms of mail-in voting as susceptible to fraud.
One explanation may be the recent allowance of early in-person voting in Florida, as Democrats still hold an advantage for early mail-in voting. Another is the fact that registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats for the first time in the history of the Sunshine State.
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Republican officials are ecstatic with the news and have continued to encourage voting. “Our turnout machine is working,” said Joe Gruters, Republican Party of Florida Chair.
Gruters predicted that Democrats would not be getting a lead back and that the edge indicated a coming red wave up and down the ballot.
“We passed the Democrats today in actual votes, and we are never going to give that up.“We are going to put a licking on them (Democrats). We are going to crush them and have one of the best cycles we have ever had in Florida.”
Gruters credited DeSantis for the momentum, citing his commanding lead over Crist in the polls with elections only two weeks away.
“I give credit to DeSantis for leading the party in this effort,” Gruters said, “and to his policies keeping Florida free and open, which helps everyone down ballot.”
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