Jason,
For years, Democrats have looked at Florida and just shrugged, writing it off completely. They say it's a lost cause, that there's no way we can gain ground in that kind of political landscape. Too red, too expensive, too far gone.
But listen: I have good reason to believe otherwise. I recently spent several days in Florida meeting with prospective candidates and connecting with organizers, and what I saw was potential. Real, tangible potential.
Florida is red because the infrastructure to compete consistently isn't there. Republicans invested for decades in school boards, county councils, state legislative seats, and judicial races. They built that power from the ground up.
That's not luck or destiny, that's strategy. And strategy can be beaten.
Is it complicated, messy, even? Yes. But that's why it matters so much, and why the kind of organizing we're building there isn't just important. It's urgent.
Florida has become a testing ground for some of the most extreme and heinous policies in the country. Book bans pushed through school districts, attacks on LGBTQ+ kids, six week abortion bans, and more recently, cooperation agreements that have expanded ICE's footprint within local law enforcement, and sweeping immigration raids that have torn families apart and led to thousands of arrests across immigrant communities. These policies are reshaping people's everyday lives.
Even in the face of all that, Florida is not lost, Jason. Not for us, not for the people we're fighting for, and definitely not for the movement we're building. It's a challenge, yes, but the best opportunities always are.
If we're serious about building durable power, we can't just defend the bluest states and hope for the best, we have to compete everywhere.
Given that the Republican for governor is likely to be one of the weakest Republicans to run for governor in my lifetime, we've got a real shot at breaking the super majority and winning the governor's race for the first time in nearly a decade.
Florida is still a massive state with millions of persuadable voters. Rapidly changing suburbs, some of the largest youth populations in the country, and working class people who are tired of being used as political props instead of being heard. None of that disappears after a few brutal election cycles.
This is the reality: If we abandon states, or ignore them altogether when it gets hard, we shrink the map of opportunity and limit what's possible in our future.
Like I said, the right didn't win Florida overnight. They invested, and they organized.
So will we.
Because giving up is not an option. We don't win by chasing the easiest ground. We win by expanding the playing field, and Florida has the potential to be one of the biggest pickup opportunities in the country if we're willing to think long term.
Thank you,
David Hogg
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