TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Following the November election, the Florida Democratic Party saw lawmakers leave the political organization.
State Senator Jason Pizzo from South Florida has changed his political affiliation to no party affiliation. Meanwhile, State Representative Susan Valdes from Hillsborough County has joined the Republican Party. Another member of the state house followed Valdes in switching parties.
On Friday, during a stop in Jacksonville, Gov. Ron DeSantis made a claim he had mentioned before about the state of the Democratic Party in Florida.
“This party is dead across the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
It’s a similar claim made by Pizzo while announcing his switch to no party affiliation.
Nikki Fried, the Florida Democratic Party Chair, mentioned she has observed a rise in support after conducting approximately 25 town halls across the state this year, along with two recent special congressional elections. During this period, Fried noted an increase in both funding and volunteer participation.
“I call B.S. for so many reasons. First and foremost, we have an energized base at this moment,” Fried said.
Fried said this is because of economic conditions over issues involving property insurance and uncertainty from tariffs.
“People are energized by what Democrats are going to do, not only here in the state of Florida, but Washington D.C.,” Fried said.
USF Political Science Emeritus Professor J. Edwin Benton questioned whether that momentum will carry over into the midterm.
“Democrats are not going to win office or get votes because that’s not a lasting effect,” Benton said.
He’s referring to some voters looking at Democrats only as dissent toward Republicans.
“They’ve got to resonate the message, their policy programs, (and) the things they are endorsing,” Benton said.
Benton added that there is some concern the party might be veering too far to the left, which could hinder its ability to attract additional backing. This concern persists as Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continue to hold significant rallies, enhancing their political influence.
Fried believes there are many voices leading the national party.
“You’ve got Democrats all over the country who are speaking out against what is happening,” Fried said.
When asked about leadership of the state party, Fried said she takes responsibility for organizing voter outreach, listening to constituents along with elected officials, and organizing the party’s messaging. She said the key message from Democrats this year and into next year involves the economy.
“The fact that our state is unaffordable. That economic message continues into ’25 and ’26,” Fried said.
Orlando-based U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and Sen. Chris Murphy from Connecticut are scheduled to be in Sarasota over the weekend for a rally.
DeSantis and Fried also criticized some of the politicians who have switched parties recently. They both think it was done for each politician’s personal gain. DeSantis went on to say that he found the new GOP members mostly aligning with Democrats in Tallahassee.
The office of Rep. Valdes didn’t respond to News Channel 8’s request for comments.
The Florida Republican Party has more than 1.2 million more registered voters in the state than Democrats.
