Florida's Democrats made some gains during Tuesday's elections — even though they didn't win any statewide seats. State party chair Nikki Fried said after the election they need some help to keep their momentum going.
"For years, Florida has been written off by people who believe the state is no longer competitive and too expensive," she said during a Wednesday news conference. "Well, I hope that they are paying attention this morning, because what we saw last night just sent a very clear message to our National Democratic Party and our partners: Florida is worth investing in."
"What we saw last night just sent a very clear message to our National Democratic Party and our partners: Florida is worth investing in." - Nikki Fried
"Florida Democrats are looking at the results across the country," Fried said, "and can only imagine what kind of day we would be having if we had sustained national support in the investment this state deserves."
Democrats broke the supermajority held by the Republicans in the state legislature during Tuesday elections. But they failed to gain a single statewide office.
The last person to do that was Fried, who was elected agriculture commissioner in 2018. She said Tuesday's results were anything but a mandate for Republicans.
"Coming within 100,000 votes for governor, after losing our state by 19 points in 2022, flipping 15 of these House seats, Senate seats, mayors' races, city and county commissions all over the state, school board races," Fried said. "This tells all Republicans in our state that we have to govern together.
"Building lasting changes takes time. We've always known that, but last night's results show that our work is making a difference. Florida has always been worth fighting for. Our work is far from over, and as I always say, we won't back down."
