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Florida Democrats are Dead on Arrival

POLICO’s Matt Dixon's recent post about the current state of the 2022 midterm elections can be seen as an obituary for Florida Democrats. Dixon points out the Democrats have all but given up, and regardless of how much they are trying to cushion the crash landing, their election efforts to mitigate the expected Republican “red wave” damage will result in a Hindenberg-style disaster.

It's that bad.

Even some top Democrats appear to be waiving the surrender flag.

“Just because a few polls say there’s a red wave should we give up? Absolutely not.”—Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book

“I don’t see how we get to 50 percent.”— Steve Schale

It’s easy to give Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump all the credit for what is expected to happen on election night in Florida, but give credit to the Doomsday Democrat for committing political suicide.

Florida Democrats embraced Democratic Socialism in 2020 and lost. One would think that you learn from your mistakes, but Democrats— for whatever reason—doubled down on socialism.

Yes, instead of condemning the ideology that lost them the state, Democrats sh*t the bed by jumping back under the covers with socialism.

Democratic consultants who suggested to their political party and candidates to reembrace Democratic Socialism and run almost exclusively on the issue of abortion when the national economy is in shambles should probably be fired.

I think Miami-Dade Democrat Evan Ross said it best.

Democrats are fake.

In the 2022 election cycle, Democrats attempted to “walk the line on issues” and not “take strong positions” unlike Gov. DeSantis.

“What it means for Democrats is we need to reset how we define ourselves,” Ross said. “We can’t have candidates who attempt to walk the line on issues. You know, for the most part, where Ron DeSantis stands on every issue. Donald Trump did the same thing. We need to take strong positions.”

The problem for Democrats is that those “strong positions” Ross is referring to appear to be the exact same issues Americans have rejected.

The Democratic Party has allowed Progressives like Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Anna Eskamani, U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar define their political identity.

Nothing against any of these legislators, whom I respect for standing up for what they believe in, but mainstream Americans do not, will not subscribe to their socialist-minded ideas. That’s just a fact.

Democrats will demonize “America First” and “Make America Great Again” as being divisive and racist phrases, but those phrases are exactly what Americans rally behind.

Americans, regardless of political affiliation, believe in a strong America that foreign nations fear and look up to for guidance and support. That’s another fact.

They may not want to say it, but Democrats believe in America being great.

At this pace, Republicans will rule the roost for many many moons to come.

Republicans Have Another Problem

This is a good problem for Republicans. President Trump could very well win the presidency again in 2024, as could DeSantis, but who will be the Republican nominee? Trump is needling DeSantis and believes that he should wait his turn. Will DeSantis listen? READ MORE

"Rick Scott Calls for Mayorkas Resignation Over Border Crisis" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Last weekend, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the numbers concerning migrant encounters for the month of September (and for the fiscal year, which ended last month). The numbers are significant. Because of these historic numbers, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) has doubled down and is calling for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign once again over the border crisis.

"Salazar Expresses Concern to Secretary Yellen About Mexican Banking Candidate" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) has issued a letter to Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary. The letter urges by the Biden administration to make sure the United States votes against Alicia Ibarra for President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

"Masvidal Endorses DeSantis in new ad" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has released a new advertisement featuring professional MMA fighter and Miami-native Jorge Masvidal. In the video, Masvidal endorses DeSantis, outlining why Floridians should reelect the Florida Governor.

"Trump Believes DeSantis 'Can't Take him Down' in 2024" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres–Former President Donald Trump has just taken another political jab at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with a video he released on his Truth Social, where the President agrees with Megan Kelly’s assertion that DeSantis can’t beat Trump in 2024.

"Rick Scott Positioned to Become Senate Majority Leader" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—With Republicans poised to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and possibly the U.S. Senate, could Republicans winning control of the Senate usher in Florida Senator Rick Scott as the new Senate Majority Leader?

"DeSantis Responds to NYC Vaccine Ruling" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—The New York Supreme Court has announced that workers fired for not taking the COVID-19 vaccination will be rehired. This comes after New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced last month that New York City would no longer institute the mandate for private employees beginning November 1st. In response to the announcement, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) delivered a political swipe at the state's vaccine ruling.

"Hospitalized Rubio Canvasser Provides Video, Statement of Attack" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Earlier this week, a campaign canvasser by the name of Christopher Monzon became a victim of a violent altercation. Monzon claims the fight began because he was distributing fliers for Sen. Marco Rubio (R) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), thus attacked for his political affiliations. He suffers a broken jaw, internal bleeding, and will require reconstructive surgery due to the severity of his injuries.

"Donalds Discusses a Diversifying GOP's Midterm Prospects by The Floridian's  Daniel Molina—With just under two weeks left, the GOP's ambitions for Congress and governorships continue to be favorable. The issues of economy, inflation, gas prices, and border security are affecting Americans of every stripe, purpling once solidly-blue voting blocs. This, in turn, is diversifying the Republican Party, not just in voters but in candidates running for office. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) spoke with Fox News' Harris Faulkner about these topics in a recent interview, which Donalds tweeted below.

"DeSantis Crushing Crist by 14 Points in New Poll" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"Elections Officials Grapple with Misinformation, Myths" by News Service of Florida

"Rubio Confident GOP Will ‘Retake Washington’" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—With election day drawing nearer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) is confident that Democrats will retain the House. However, Republicans are hopeful that they will overtake the House as polls indicate there could be a “red wave” in November. This week, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) joined Laura Ingraham on the Ingraham Angle to discuss just that. Rubio outlined 3 things Republicans should do if they “retake Washington.”

"Sabatini Fixated on Congress, Continues Paving Road for a Potential Congressional Run" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Days after losing his Republican congressional race by 15 percentage points to Combat Veteran Cory Mills, State Rep. Anthony Sabatini announced that he would be running for Congress again in Florida’s 11th District, where Rep. Daniel Webster is the incumbent legislator.

"Miami Herald Endorses Crist for Governor" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"Brian Mast Calls Out Biden for Economic Struggles 2 Weeks Before Midterms" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Yesterday, a CNN article written by Eric Bradner lays out the most important issue on voters’ minds this election cycle: inflation and the economy as a whole. With this in mind, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) sent out multiple tweets calling out President Joe Biden (D) and the nation’s lackluster economic performance so far during his administration.

"Former Crist Colleagues Endorse DeSantis" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

"Ballot Drop Box Security Questioned in Broward County, Florida" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—An NBC 6 television news segment on the first day of early voting in Broward County appears to show an unidentified woman, possibly a campaign volunteer or staffer, depositing multiple ballots in one of the remote ballot drop boxes that the Broward Supervisor of Elections, Joe Scott, is responsible for protecting.

"Ron DeSantis 'Donkey Dunks' Charlie Crist During Gubernatorial Debate" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—The debate between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rep. Charlie Crist was all that anyone could hope for, as both men came prepared and ready to brawl. From the onset, Rep. Crist went on the attack. He had to.

"DeSantis and Crist Spar in First and Only Debate" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"DeSantis Accuses Crist of Supporting 'Sex-Selective' and 'Dismemberment Abortions'" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—During the much-anticipated gubernatorial debate between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist (D), the issue of abortion took centerstage as Rep. Crist answered just about every question by pivoting back to address abortion.

"Taddeo Shares new ad With Former Salazar Voters" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida state Senator Annette Taddeo (D) has released a new advertisement, taking a political swipe at Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R). In the advertisement, two former Salazar supporters comment on why they’re not voting for Salazar in the upcoming election. Sharing the ad on social media, Taddeo shared that she’s gained their support because she puts “country above party.”

"Gimenez Calls for Natural Gas Production" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The Biden Administration's war on fossil fuels in the name of environmentalism has garnered strong criticism from Republicans. In light of continued emptying of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the ability of the United States to remain energy independent is of serious concern. Recently, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL-26) appeared on Fox News' Evening Edit to discuss the balance between American energy independence and environmental integrity.

"Byron Donalds' Solution to Border Crisis: 'VOTE REPUBLICAN'"by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—In what Fox News reporter Bill Melugin described as a “blatant Friday late night news dump,” the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) released their numbers for the month of September, showcasing a record high in migrant encounters for both the month and the fiscal year. Following the data release, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) gave a plea to the nation including his solution to fix the problem.

"Rubio and DeSantis Supporter Attacked in Miami-Dade Needs Facial Reconstructive Surgery" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"DeSantis Appears to Have Clear Advantage Over Crist Among Jewish Voters" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—As Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Gov. Charlie Crist prepare to face off in the 2020 midterm gubernatorial election, both men have been deemed pro-Israel and supportive of the overall Jewish community in the state of Florid, and pray that the important voting bloc supports their respective gubernatorial campaigns.

"Demings Claims Opposition to Defunding Police Despite Voting Record" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—As a former police chief, it would make sense for Rep. Val Demings (D-FL-10) to be against defunding police. In a recent tweet, Demings posted a short video saying that those in favor of defunding are a "small minority" and that "Democrats overwhelmingly voted for legislation to fund our police, including my bill to solve unsolved murders." As such, she says, "when Republicans claim we’re “defunding the police,” that’s “ALTERNATIVE FACTS.”

"Palm Beach Post Endorses Crist for Governor" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"DeSantis Says Fauci's 'Gaslighting' the Country" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is once again touting the state's stance on COVID-19. With reports that a new COVID-19 variant could strike in the winter, the Florida Governor is responding to recent comments from Dr. Fauci. It's no secret that DeSantis is a sharp critic of Fauci, and as Fauci readies himself for retirement, DeSantis warns that Fauci is "gaslighting" the country.

"Rubio Adds More First Responder Endorsements" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Last weekend, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) received further support from first responders. Both the South Florida Council of Fire Fighters and the International Union of Police Associations announced endorsements for Rubio's reelection.

"Democrat Karen Green Believes Democrats are 'Baby Killing" and Racist?" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—In appalling news out of Florida’s 7th Congressional District, it appears that Karen Green (D), who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives, briefly became a conservative just days before the general election. Green is running against Cory Mills (R), an Army combat veteran, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump (R) and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"Broward Elections Supervisor Shuts Down Reporter for Asking About Illegal Voter's Arrest" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Broward County Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott was visibly bothered when grassroots activist and independent reporter Chris Nelson confronted him over the recent arrest of Alford Samuels for illegally voting in Broward County.

"Changes to Credit Card System Hurts Consumers"—OPINION

"Ron DeSantis Announces Record Unemployment Numbers" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced the second lowest unemployment rate in Florida’s history, hitting 2.5%, while simultaneously achieving the second fastest GDP growth across all 50 states, despite national GDP slipping into a recession (two consecutive quarters of declining GDP). This is the lowest unemployment rate for the state since October 2006.

"FL Legislators Call for Decriminalizing Use of Weed" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—As the nation gets more and more relaxed with cannabis usage, politicians around the state of Florida are looking for ways to make marijuana more accessible but differing sides of the aisle aren’t necessarily approaching the issue in the same manner.

"New Ad Praises Gov. DeSantis' Support of Florida's Environment" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"First Lady DeSantis: 'Mamas' Proud of Gov. Ron DeSantis for Saying No to School Vaccine Mandates" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Earlier this week, the CDC unanimously voted to add the controversial COVID-19 vaccine into the childhood immunization schedule. While the CDC is not making the shot mandatory, there are fears that states and schools will make it so. As a result, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) spoke at a press conference saying that no Florida school district will be able to implement vaccine mandates.

"Scott Questions DoE Concerning Innovative Technology Going to China" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—The Biden administration was reported to have allowed the acquisition of American intellectual properties related to battery technology. This technology was reported to have been funded by the American taxpayer.

"Cammack: Border Agents Have been Reduced to 'Glorified Babysitters'" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—With monthly border crossings in the tens of thousands, many Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for their lack of attentiveness to the growing crisis down south. President Joe Biden (D) has now decided to recruit military volunteers to help with the border crisis. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) gave her thoughts on Fox Business just two days ago.

"Salazar Holds Presser for USMCA Human Rights Violations" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) held a joint presser this week in Miami. In the press conference, Salazar was joined by Mexican officials to denounce human rights violations of USMCA.

"Rubio Says Demings is "Easiest" Debate He's Done" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Last Tuesday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) and Florida Rep. Val Demings (D) faced off in a debate. Discussing a number of topics including inflation, the state of the country, and abortion rights, both Demings and Rubio exchanged verbal blows in the hopes of procuring support.

"Gaetz Applauds DoD Decision to Not Include Wind Farms on FL West Coast Military Space" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—The Department of Defense recently announced their commitment to ensure that wind farms would not encroach Florida’s Gulf Coast Military Mission Line (MML). The Biden administration had been looking to expand offshore wind farming, but Republicans like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) expressed enough concern to divert the decision.

"Jan. 6 Committee Member Denies 2016 Election, yet Warns of 2020 GOP Election Deniers Running for Office" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—During the entirety of President Donald Trump’s (R) time in office, those who opposed the Republican president claimed that the 2016 presidential election was tampered with due to “Russian interference.” Phrases such as “Stolen election”, “Illegitimate president,” and “Abolish the electoral college” were all thrown around after the billionaire businessman from New York shocked the world and defeated former First Lady, Secretary of State, and Senator of New York, Hillary Clinton (D).

"Florida Democrats Release Pro-Abortion Pamphlets Ahead of Midterms" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Democrats nationwide are campaigning hard on abortion, and Florida Democrats are no exception. In fact, with the possibility of the Republican-led state legislature imposing a ban on abortion, Florida Democrats are encouraging women to seek abortions in other states. A tweet this week by the Florida Democrats account claims that "Ron DeSantis' extreme abortion laws are already endangering women who've had to leave Florida to find the care they need."

"Republicans Respond to Biden's Petroleum Release" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—President Joe Biden (D) has announced his decision to release more American-produced oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Rising oil prices has been a concern leading up to the midterm election, but the President argues that having those releases significantly lowers the price of gas. In response to the release, Republicans across the country have criticized the decision, accusing it of being a political move.

"Waltz Requests Briefing on Afghanistan Intel" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

"DeSantis Announces Sanibel Causeway Repaired One Week Early"  by The Floridian's Jim McCool

"Rubio Attacks Demings' Support for 'Socialist' 'People's Budget' by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—The Senatorial candidate debate between Rep. Val Demings (D-FL-10) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) saw vicious back and forth between the two, but Sen. Rubio arguably has the upper hand. His strong response to Rep. Demings' accusation of voter suppression pairs with a counterattack of his own: Demings' support of the 2018 "People's Budget."

"Florida's Congressional Map Foes Fight Attempt to Shield Lawmakers"  by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—TALLAHASSEE — Opponents of a congressional redistricting plan pushed through the Legislature by Gov. Ron DeSantis are fighting an effort to shield key lawmakers from testifying in a constitutional ch