Staff Reports
Joe Biden’s campaign is holding on to a fantasy that Florida is a battleground state for the upcoming November election, even though their own campaign chairwoman, Jen O’Malley Dillon, admitted on Monday that the Sunshine State is not up for grabs for the Democrats. While Dillon confirmed North Carolina as a battleground state when asked by Puck News, she bluntly dismissed Florida—an oversight that has Republicans grinning from ear to ear.
Despite Dillon’s confession, Biden’s campaign remains in denial, bragging about their efforts to woo Florida voters. According to Dan Kanninen, the Biden-Harris battleground states director, Florida is still in play because, apparently, Trump and his loyalists are living on another planet and ignoring the state. Kanninen believes Biden has a compelling story to tell Floridians, which justifies the campaign’s increasing investments in the state.
Let’s be real, Dillon’s admission is practically waving a white flag for the Biden camp. Even Florida GOP members are having a field day with this newfound honesty. Governor Ron DeSantis wasted no time declaring Florida’s non-battleground status in a rather matter-of-fact manner. DeSantis pointed out that the days of Florida being the most significant battleground state are ancient history.
Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power took the opportunity to poke fun at Democrats and their leader, Nikki Fried. He highlighted the stark numerical advantage Republicans have over Democrats in voter registration—nearly a million more registered Republicans—and their robust grassroots operation. For Power, this clear surrender from the Biden campaign is just another embarrassing episode for Florida Democrats. He confidently claimed that Republicans are poised to win big in November.
The Biden campaign is throwing money at Florida, hoping to capitalize on the abortion issue by pushing Ballot Measure 4, which aims to solidify abortion rights in state law. Democrats have been drumming up support on this topic since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, treating it as their golden goose. Vice President Kamala Harris even parroted this sentiment at a Florida event, implying that Floridians hold the power to reelect Biden and herself.
However, polling data should offer a hefty dose of reality. While recent polls show Biden within striking distance, former President Donald Trump still holds a firm lead in his home state. Both a Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research poll and a Fox News poll show Trump maintaining a steady lead over Biden.
Nikki Fried might still be shouting from the rooftops that Florida is in play, and the Biden campaign might be hanging onto their delusions, but on the ground, it’s a different story. The numbers and seasoned political minds say it all: Florida’s glory days as a battleground state are long gone, no matter how much the Democrats wish otherwise.
