On Tuesday, Democrats flipped traditionally Republican states in places many considered out of reach.
asserted
many → flip → reach
As I watched the returns come in from my apartment in Brooklyn, I wondered whether Florida, my home state, would also turn blue.
asserted
Florida → watch → Brooklyn
In the end, Republicans won most of Florida’s major statewide races––one of the few losses Democrats suffered.
asserted
Democrats → win → losses
On the surface, the sea change that swept through the country appeared to have missed Florida.
asserted
that → sweep → Florida
But Democratic candidates here didn’t lose by much, and that distinction paints a more complicated picture of Florida’s electorate.
asserted
distinction → lose → electorate
The results challenge the assumptions about the political limits of progressives in the state.
asserted
results → challenge → state
With 2028 approaching, Democrats need to start building a new movement in Florida now.
asserted
Democrats → approach → Florida
The results were very close
On election night, Alfred Soto, an associate teaching professor of communications at Florida International University, was momentarily buoyed as he watched the vote count with friends in Miami.
asserted
he → teach → Miami
For years, Soto mobilized voters as part of the Cuban American Democrats, before the organization disbanded earlier this year.
asserted
organization → mobilize → Democrats
“As I saw those early returns, I thought, can we do this?
asserted
we → see → this
Early returns showed Democrat David Jolly, the candidate for governor, leading Republican Byron Donalds, and Angie Nixon, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, appeared to be locked in a tight race.
asserted
Jolly → show → race
In Miami-Dade County, where I grew up, it looked as though the Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar could lose her House seat.
uncertain
Salazar → grow → seat
And Republican Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart’s race initially looked reassuring, but later reporting revealed a much more competitive contest.
asserted
reporting → look → contest
Jolly came within roughly 1 point of winning the governor’s race, while Nixon came within roughly 3 points of flipping a U.S. Senate seat.
asserted
Nixon → come → seat
Every county in Florida, except one, moved blue—in some cases, by double digits.
asserted
county → move → digits
Miami-Dade County had the highest voter turnout in a midterm election in more than two decades, and the country flipped blue after voting Republican in 2022.
asserted
country → have → 2022
As I write this, Salazar’s race has entered a recount and though Díaz-Balart has claimed victory, that race remains too close to call.
asserted
race → write → victory
It is a stunning turn of events when you consider that they are two longtime Republican incumbents running in heavily Hispanic districts.
asserted
they → consider → districts
Nixon’s performance was particularly notable given the circumstances of her campaign.
asserted
performance → give → campaign
She was outspent by Republican-aligned outside groups, running in a state Trump carried comfortably in 2024.
asserted
Trump → outspent → 2024
Many Cubans, who make up the largest share of voters in the city, cringe at the mere mention of socialism.
asserted
who → make → socialism
And yet, Nixon made huge headway campaigning on an agenda that included Medicare for All, universal childcare, and other democratic socialist priorities.
asserted
that → make → All
“It left me more energized than ever,” Soto said.
asserted
Soto → leave → me
“I thought, okay, maybe Florida now is where Texas was in 2018, 2020.”
asserted
Texas → think → 2018
Latinos in Florida are feeling the impacts of Trump’s policies
Many Florida families have been battered by the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
asserted
families → feel → policies
Haitians in South Florida who lost Temporary Protected Status have lost their jobs and are afraid to step outside.
asserted
who → lose → jobs
In Doral, where there is a strong Venezuelan community, some businesses have shuttered, and local officials are facing pressure over the city’s cooperation agreement with ICE.
asserted
officials → be → ICE
It’s true that Cubans and other Latinos in Miami supported Trump’s deportation policies and have stood by the Republican Party.
asserted
Cubans → ’ → Party
But some have come to regret that support, and in part this election’s results bear that out.
asserted
results → come → that
And it’s not just immigration.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
South Florida is now considered one of the most expensive places in the country.
asserted
Florida → consider → country
Groceries are where Elisa Douglass, a jewelry-maker in Miami, feels it most.
asserted
Douglass → feel → it
Her family used to spend about $150 a week on groceries.
asserted
family → use → groceries
Now she shops at two or three different stores depending on what is on sale, and the bill is closer to $380.
asserted
bill → shop → 380
“The difference is crazy,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
Even a small pack of Bustelo coffee (a staple in many Latino households) costs $8.
asserted
pack → cost → 8
Her elderly parents, who live off $32,000 a year, lost their Medicaid as a result of recent federal policy changes and administrative cutbacks.
asserted
who → live → changes
To win Floridians in 2028, Democrats need to acknowledge, and promise to address, bread-and-butter economic challenges like these head-on.
asserted
Democrats → win → these
They need to make the case that protecting immigrant families and creating legal pathways for people who want to contribute to this country are in America's best interests.
asserted
who → need → interests
How Florida is changing
To be sure, Florida has shifted in recent years.
asserted
Florida → change → years
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
