MIAMI — Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison is optimistic about his party’s chances of winning in Florida, despite the state’s electoral votes going to Republicans in the past two presidential elections.
“Florida is a contender,” Harrison said in an interview with CBS News Miami on Saturday. “Florida, Florida, Florida.”
“For the first time in 30 years, we have Democrats running for every seat in the state House, state Senate and Congress,” he added.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties both President Biden 2020Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump won the state by about 3 percentage points that year.
According to the most recent data on the Florida State Department’s website, there are approximately 5.38 million registered Republicans and 4.35 million registered Democrats in Florida, as well as 3.54 million unaffiliated voters.
Harrison argues that Florida Democrats were hampered in 2020 by the pandemic.
“COVID-19 has prevented Democrats from campaigning on the ground, going door-to-door and communicating with voters,” Harrison said.
In the House of Representatives, Democrat Lucia Baez-Geller is challenging Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, while former Democratic Rep…. Debbie Mucarsel Powell He is trying to unseat Republican Senator Rick Scott.
Republicans are outspending Democrats by four to one in the Senate race, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending, but that hasn’t fazed Harrison.
“I think you’re going to see a surge in funding,” Harrison said. “I’ve just tweeted a few times over the last few days for Debbie, and the money is coming in.”
About a week later It seems to be an assassination attempt. Harrison hopes his address to Trump in West Palm Beach will help tone down the political rhetoric in the final stretch before Election Day.
“We have to turn that down on an individual basis,” Harrison said. “And it’s sad to see those attempts. I know there have been threats against Vice President Harris. There have been threats in the past against President Biden. There have been threats in the past against President Obama. This violence has got to end.”
Responding to Harrison’s comments on CBS Miami, Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power said in a statement, “Democrats can say whatever they want, but the facts are: Florida Republicans are more registered, fundraising and active than the Florida Democratic Party. When anyone tells you Florida is a Democratic victory state, don’t take them for granted.”
The last time Florida voted Democrat in a presidential election was in 2012, when President Obama won by about one percentage point.