Despite top-of-ticket defeats, a blue wave hit Florida, too, Dems say
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Though Angie Nixon fell short of winning a Senate seat, she and other top Democrats see hope in Florida's midterm results. Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Florida may not have seen the blue tsunami that crashed over the rest of the country, but there was a wave.
Why it matters: Down-ballot victories and strong turnout are evidence the Sunshine State is still very much in play, the state's top Democrats say.
State of play: Democrats netted 15 seats (with a possible 16th still too close to call) in the Florida House, breaking a GOP supermajority that had granted Republicans unique power to enact their agenda since 2022.
- They picked up a state Senate seat and maintained a post flipped by state Sen. Brian Nathan in March.
- They held onto congressional seats that Republicans had redrawn earlier this year to favor candidates of their party, including the district represented by Tampa Bay's Kathy Castor.
- And counties that went red for President Trump in 2024, including Pinellas and Miami-Dade, flipped blue for David Jolly and Angie Nixon in this cycle.
What they're saying: "Republicans are rejoicing today about their wins," Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said Wednesday on a call with reporters.
- "They should take a harder look at the numbers and realize that Florida is back to being purple."
- And Democrats made those gains with little investment from the national party, Fried and Nixon noted.
- "People of Florida. Y'all better hold your damn head high," Nixon said on X. "We broke state legislature super majorities because we drove turnout while everyone wrote us off."
1 stunning example: Among the flipped state House seats was District 69, which covers a swath of southeastern Hillsborough County.
- Community organizer Ashley Herrmann defeated Republican incumbent Danny Alvarez to become Florida's first Democratic Socialist lawmaker.
- Alvarez won the district 58-42 in 2024. Herrmann defeated him this year 52-48.
Zoom in: The blue wave also trickled down to local races.
- Hillsborough County voters ousted two Republicans from the County Commission and flipped the board majority back to Democrats.
- Pinellas voters also flipped a County Commission seat, ousting Republican Brian Scott — whose victory in 2022 tipped the board into a conservative majority — in favor of Democrat Tim Hughes.
What's next: The results should send a message to national party leaders to invest in Florida ahead of 2028, Fried said.
- "Florida Democrats are looking at the results across the country," she said, "and can only imagine what kind of day we would be having if we had sustained national support."