Gov. Ron DeSantis said Republican voters may not show up in November because the Republican Party's unlikely to pass the federal SAVE Act, speaking at a press conference on election integrity in Lake Worth Beach this week.
"They may have a lot fewer Republicans after this election," DeSantis said. "That's the way things go, politics is cyclical. You have certain opportunities. You really got to seize on those opportunities."
While the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID at the polls, the bill has failed to get through the Senate, leading Gov. DeSantis to believe the inaction could have repercussions in Congress.
Republicans currently hold a 53-45 edge in the Senate, with many key races coming up in November. Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas are all considered "Toss Up' states by Cook Political Report as of Sept. 23.
Florida's special senate race between Republican incumbent Ashley Moody and Democratic challenger Angie Nixon is considered "Solid R" (Republican) by Cook's analysis. Twelve other races are considered "Solid R," while nine are considered "Solid D" (Democrat).
Two races are considered "Likely R" with one "Lean R." Two are also considered "Likely D" with one "Lean D."
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win back the Senate as two independents, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-VT), caucus with the party in the upper chamber. A 50-50 tie would go to the Republicans as Vice President J.D. Vance holds the tie-breaking vote.
Notably, Florida passed its own version of SAVE ACT earlier this year.
"I think if the Senate does go change hands from Republican to Democrat, there's a lot of factors. But I think one of the factors is some of our voters are disappointed that more wasn't done when that was something that so many of them wanted to see," DeSantis added.
