Florida delegates headed to DNC making ‘Florida is in play’ pitch to national Democrats

It’s an uphill battle for Florida Democrats to make strides in the election this year, but delegates are still trying to make the case to national Democrats that their state is worth fighting for. 

Florida delegates headed to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week are expected to make the case to top Democratic donors and officials that their state is in play, despite national Democrats’ concerns about the odds. Florida, which is the one-time largest swing state of them all, has moved to the right in recent years and has not voted for a Democrat for president since reelecting former President Barack Obama in 2012.

“I think when we get there, it’s really going to solidify the case that we’ve been trying to make,” Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones, chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, told the Miami Herald. “The meetings that I’m going to have — sitting down with donors and sitting down with party leaders — are to let them know that not only is Florida in play but can’t be ignored and should not be ignored.”

Florida Democrats are banking on enthusiasm surrounding the top of the Democratic ticket as some have said Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy has as much buzz around it as Obama’s candidacy did. 

Jones acknowledged national Democrats’ doubts around the state — Republicans have more than a million registered voters advantage with their party in the state over Democrats. He said while Democratic investment may not directly pay off in this election, the state would benefit from a “long-term strategy.”

“The Republicans didn’t get here overnight, and it’s going to take us time to get there,” Jones said. “We can’t neglect the resources that are needed in order to build that bench, in order to build that infrastructure.”

Nikki Fried, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, told the outlet the GOP is “sleeping on Florida at their own peril.” The campaign to reelect former President Donald Trump, who calls Florida home, has not done any ad buy-ins on the radio or TV in Florida. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden’s campaign, which Harris inherited, spent $11,400 on ads in the Jacksonville market. 

The Trump campaign does not seem worried about Republicans’ chances in Florida this go around. In 2016, Trump won the Sunshine State by 112,911 votes and increased his margin in 2020, winning the state by 371,686 votes.

“In November, Florida voters will send a clear and resounding message: President Donald J. Trump is the only leader with a proven track record of making our nation prosperous and affordable,” said Rachel Reisner, the Trump campaign’s regional communications director. “The movement to Make America Great Again is alive and growing, and it starts here in Florida.”

Still, Fried said she will make the case to national Democrats in Chicago next week that Florida should be invested in, pointing to the recent momentum for Harris in the state despite funding from national Democrats.

“There is a tremendous case to be made. And all of this is done without a true investment. This is all organic,” Fried said. “This is because of the hard work that [the Florida Democratic Party] has been doing for the last year and a half. The shift in momentum is because of the work that’s been done on the ground and done organically. I do think this is an opportunity for us to make this pitch.”

The Harris campaign has added 22,000 new volunteers in Florida over the past month, and most of those sign-ups come from Democrats, but 5% come from registered Republicans. Democrats are also hoping an abortion amendment on the ballot will drive support for Democrats up and down the ballot. 

Recent polls also indicate that Harris may be somewhat close behind Trump. In one recent survey from USA Today/Suffolk University, Harris was trailing Trump by 5 percentage points and another poll from Florida Atlantic University found Harris behind Trump by just 3 percentage points.