Florida Republicans outnumber Florida Democrats by nearly one and a half million voters.
They also raise a lot more money.
But Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried thinks her side has momentum.
"Democrats are ready to fight for our state, build a coalition of Democrats, Republicans and independents, and that is how we're going to take back our state, city by city, brick by brick, voter by voter," she said at a Wednesday virtual press conference.
Fried is excited Democrat Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayor's race on Tuesday, replacing a Republican.
But Evan Power, chair of the Republican Party of Florida, and other state GOP leaders are projecting confidence, pointing out how Miami is Democratic-leaning and how it still has a Republican-majority city commission. Power calls any Miami-related commentary suggesting Democratic momentum a "fake narrative."
Still, Fried said other elections have her optimistic, too. For example, a Democrat won a Palm Beach County Florida House seat as predicted on Tuesday, but by a large margin.
Fried said the political pendulum is swinging toward Democrats, with Floridians unhappy with federal and state GOP policies and affordability issues. But she acknowledged the challenges her party faces.
"There's no magic bullet," she said. "It is just about sweat equity, getting good candidates and finding solutions to the problems that are facing the people of our state."
Power, meanwhile, projects the 2026 Democratic candidate for governor will lose by "double digits," just like in 2022.
If you have any questions about state government or the legislative process, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
