While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis might be facing challenges during his national campaign efforts, the influence of the DeSantis Effect is clearly evident within his own state’s Republican stronghold.
On Friday, The Florida Standard reported that the most recent voter registration data unveiled a noteworthy change in rural Jefferson County located in North Florida.
The county now boasts 4,173 registered Republicans, as opposed to 4,166 registered Democrats. This slim margin of 7 voters caused Jefferson County to become the seventh county in Florida to shift from Democratic (blue) to Republican (red) in the past two years.
The news prompted a spirited response from the Republican Party of Florida, with GOP Senator Rick Scott tweeting, “Florida is a red state, and we will ALWAYS reject Democrats’ socialist agenda!”
Christian Ziegler, the GOP Chairman, lauded the efforts of the party’s operatives in Jefferson County for effectively disseminating the party’s message. He tweeted, “It’s another great day to be a Republican in the free State of Florida.”
Ziegler went on to highlight the shift in party presence across the state. He noted that yesterday, 13 out of Florida’s 67 counties had more registered Democrats than Republicans. However, with the transition of Jefferson County to the Republican side, Democrats now only have a stronghold in 12 counties.
DeSantis secured his re-election with a significant 20-point lead last year, carrying 62 out of Florida’s 67 counties. This included winning over traditionally Democratic strongholds, such as South Florida.
Since DeSantis assumed the role of governor in 2019, the GOP has markedly outpaced the Democrats in terms of voter registration. They have transformed a deficit of roughly 300,000 voters in 2018 into an impressive lead of 500,000 more registered voters than their Democratic counterparts. This shift accounts for a total change of about 800,000 voters.
The Florida Standard reports that Jefferson County now joins a list that includes Liberty, Hamilton, Franklin, Pinellas, Hendry, and Jackson counties in making the switch from blue to red over the course of the last couple of years.
