Trump failures 'scramble' once-impossible Democrat race for deep-red Senate seat

08 May

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, former Trump whistleblower and current Florida Senate candidate. (Image: Screengrab via Alexander S. Vindman)

“No chance,” is what some close to Democratic politics would tell you about their chances in Florida this year.

However, according to a new report from The Hill, the mounting failures of Donald Trump have given some in the party "renewed optimism" about the now deep-red state, believing that the president could "scramble" the dynamics in his own backyard and hand them a highly sought-after Senate.

While Florida has changed immensely since its swing state days, when it broke for Barack Obama in both of his elections, The Hill reported on Friday that there are some within the party who believe that Trump's economic failures and the runaway affordability crisis that he has directly caused could have a distinct impact on Florida, and potentially drive voters back to the blue side.

"Florida has been a source of deep frustration for Democrats in recent election cycles — something that has been made worse in recent days as [Gov. Ron] DeSantis’s redistricting effort is expected to take more House seats from Democrats," the outlet explained. "But a string of recent Democratic wins — from the Miami mayoral race to the flip of a state legislative seat in President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago district — has given Democrats some renewed optimism even as they eye the Senate seat. Democrats also believe Florida’s affordability crisis could scramble the political dynamics."

"It’s the economy stupid on steroids here,” Fernand Amandi, a Democratic strategist in Florida who helped Obamasucceed in the state, told The Hill. “Any betting person would still put the safe money and the smart money on Republicans because Democratic performance has been atrocious. But if there was ever an environment that was stacked against the Republicans, I’ve never seen an environment as bad as this one."

The quality disparity in the Senate race is also fueling hope that Democrats could manage a win in November. The seat is currently held by Republican Ashley Moody, who was appointed to the seat by DeSantis after Marco Rubio joined the Trump administration last year. Incumbents who attain their seat in this manner, without selling themselves to voters, are generally considered to have a disadvantage when they seek their first election.

Democrats are also fronting Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the Ukrainian-born official who became a "national figure" after playing a key whistleblower role during Trump's first impeachment proceedings. His stature has led to a massive $8.19 million fundraising haul by the end of March.

Despite that impressive sum, prognosticators still say the race leans Republican, with many arguing that Florida is too far gone for Democrats to bother with, when there are much more competitive races to worry about.

“No chance,” Florida-based Democratic mega donor John Morgan told The Hill. “Florida is still Trump country ... Florida is redder than Indiana.”

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