NBC 6’s Steve Litz has more on the convincing victories for the two high profile Republicans.
The days of Florida being a swing state and Miami-Dade being solidly blue could be over after Republicans delivered resounding wins during Tuesday's midterm election.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio soared to early reelection victories Tuesday, both winning their races by large margins over Democratic challengers.
The pair also both won big in Miami-Dade County, DeSantis by more than 11 percentage points and Rubio by nearly 10 percentage points.
DECISION 2022
Miami-Dade, which Democrat Hillary Clinton carried by 29 percentage points in 2016, voted overwhelmingly Republican for the first time in decades and county party chairman Rene Garcia said he thinks there's a good reason why.
"I think right now our country's at a point where we have to have more stable minds coming together, speaking with one voice, saying 'we have to bring our country back,'" Garcia said. "I think right now you see the overwhelming support of Miami-Dade County coming out, understanding that we are a community that believes in the First Amendment, believes in freedoms."
Florida has been a classic battleground. It twice helped propel Barack Obama to the White House. But the state, where the number of registered Democrats exceeded Republicans in 2020, has shifted increasingly to the right.
That's thanks to GOP inroads with Hispanic voters, as well as an influx of new residents, including many retirees, drawn to its lack of an income tax as well as its sunny weather.
"Democrats really have to think about how they are going to rebuild there. The Obama coalition no longer exists," said Carlos Curbelo, a Republican former member of Congress and NBC 6 political analyst.
Curbelo called Florida "off the map for the foreseeable future" to Democrats.
DeSantis won the governor’s office in 2018 by only about 30,000 votes. On Tuesday, he flipped at least six counties that he lost that year. Those counties were carried by Biden just two years ago.
Among the counties flipped were Duval, Pinellas, Hillsborough and even Palm Beach.
"It's clearly apparent that this election we will have garnered a significant number of votes from people who may not have voted for me four years ago. I just want to let you know I am honored to have earned your trust and your support," DeSantis said at a victory rally Tuesday night.
Some Democrats blame some of Tuesday's blowout losses to a lack of investment by their party.
"This is what happens when national Democrats decide to not spend money in the state,” said Greg Goddard, a Democratic fundraising consultant from Florida who raised money for Rep. Val Demings' losing challenge of Rubio. “The pathway to Democrats winning future presidential elections is very thin if you do not plan to spend in Florida."
