Democrats took control of Congress and flipped several governorships after election night. However, in Florida, Republicans narrowly held onto the U.S. Senate seat, the governor’s mansion and control of the state legislature.
With the votes counted, Democrats will now look to deliver on their campaign promises ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Takeaways for Democrats – Emil Salgado Vazquez, Copy Chief
It may seem like Democrats lost in Florida, but if you read between the lines, Democratic Floridians have a lot to be happy about. With thin margins across the state and every county voting nearly 10 points more Democratic on average than in 2024, this night was far from a loss.
These results proved that Democrats need to invest in Florida again.
Republican governor candidate Byron Donalds outspent his Democratic opponent David Jolly by about $140 million. Jolly came short by only about 110,000 votes — a major shift from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelection campaign in 2022, when the Republican won by more than 1.5 million votes.
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Angie Nixon was outspent by about $5 million, losing by nearly 240,000 votes in a state where the word “socialism” is often used to spread fear among voters.
But it doesn’t seem like Nixon is done fighting, taking to Instagram shortly after conceding the race to tease a 2028 run.
Statewide, while Democrats did not gain a majority in the Florida House or Senate, they did break the Republican supermajority in the House, and the Senate supermajority is on thin ice.
Once the final votes are in, Republicans will likely drop about 15 seats in the House and be one seat short of a supermajority in the Senate.
One thing to be happy about for Florida Democrats is the U.S. House races. Democrats won 3 key races — Districts 14, 22 and 25. Democrats also had a lead in District 9 as of 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in a state that Republicans redistricted to their advantage.
At home in District 27, the race between Democrat Elliot Rodriguez and Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar was not called and appeared to be headed for an automatic recount as of 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 4 — the time of print submission.
All this to say: things are looking up for Florida Democrats ahead of 2028. Don’t be discouraged by the night’s losses; look to repeat the successes.
Takeaways for Republicans – Lazaro Chavez, Senior Staff Writer
After a strong campaign, Byron Donalds won the race for Florida governor.
But Donalds’ margin of victory proved to be disappointing. Unlike DeSantis, who carried the state by nearly ten percentage points, Donalds narrowly secured the governor’s mansion by two percentage points.
Between Senator Ashley Moody’s narrow win against Angie Nixon — a member of the Democratic Socialists of America — and the Republican losses across the country, the night proved that the GOP needs a new direction.
With socialism creeping its way into the mainstream Democratic Party, Republicans must fight back harder with stronger candidates who reflect the values of a growing portion of the electorate: independents.
Republicans need leaders who can articulate bold conservative visions, defend free-market principles and offer real solutions for the issues voters care about. The party must also reject the culture wars.
The biggest elephant in the room is the White House.
President Donald Trump cost Republicans both chambers of Congress. Trump acted like he was running for president again — saying the GOP would’ve won if he was on the ballot — and he was campaigning as if it was 2024, ultimately costing the party.
His approval rating was low, at just 32% according to Reuters, so the party should’ve distanced itself from him if it wanted to make bigger gains.
It also didn’t help that the president blamed his endorsed candidates for losing.
With the president’s agenda in limbo for the next two years, the Republican party must do two things: Keep the president off social media as much as possible and look to leadership for its future.
Marco Rubio is the only card the Republicans should play in 2028. He has the credentials, charm and intelligence to be able to win the presidency.
But is the GOP ready to give a Latino the keys to the movement? And more importantly, are they ready to kick Trump to the curb?