Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said if Republicans wanted to reduce the cost of living for everyday Floridians, they could have done that through the legislative process. Instead, what they're doing is making local governments the big boogeyman, Fried said. Democrats argue the proposal does not address property insurance premiums and could squeeze funding for police, fire departments, roads, parks and other local services. Republicans have promoted the measure as a way to provide relief to homeowners facing higher tax bills.
The party pointed to an advantage in requests for vote-by-mail ballots, though Republicans maintain a voter registration advantage of more than 1.5 million statewide. As of May 31, Florida had about 5.54 million active registered Republicans and 4.03 million Democrats, according to the state Division of Elections. Fried said in a separate interview that this cycle feels different for multiple reasons, noting the party has seen work paying off by flipping almost 33 seats at this point and overperforming the national average. Democrats are counting on a political pattern that has helped opposition parties in past midterm elections, with voters often punishing the party controlling the White House.