(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) In order to secure the state of Florida for incumbent President Joe Biden during the recent primary election, Florida Democrats cancelled their primary, awarding Biden the delegates automatically.
Fortunately for Republicans, the move backfired when thousands of Democratic voters did not turn out to vote in local elections across the state, The Federalist reported.
Democrats first made the announcement that they would only put forward Biden on the presidential primary ballot in November 2023.
The news angered some Democrats, who said the move by the Democratic National Committee brought flashbacks of its controversial 2016 attempt to rig the primary in favor of Hillary Clinton by freezing out socialist candidate Bernie Sanders and others.
“Americans would expect the absence of democracy in Tehran, not Tallahassee,” said Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., one of the would-be challengers.
“The intentional disenfranchisement of voters runs counter to everything for which our Democratic Party and country stand,” he added. “Our mission as Democrats is to defeat authoritarians, not become them.”
As a result of lower Democratic turnout, Republicans and their allies managed to flip several key seats.
Clearwater mayoral candidate Bruce Rector, who was backed by Republicans in a nonpartisan race, succeeded in flipping several city council seats in a purple-to-blue city.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Rector and company pulled off the mild upset due to a “significant conservative turnout.”
In Apopka City, Republican incumbent City Commissioner Nick Nesta won another term, while fellow Republican Nadia Anderson took a seat previously held by Democrats.
In Delray Beach, Republican Tom Carney flipped the mayorship, beating out two opponents by more than 10 points each—one of whom was a DEI Democrat.
Republican-aligned mayoral candidate Peggy Wheeler also beat out a Democrat-aligned inclumbent, Mayor Alexander Cooke, in June Beach.
There were also several close races won by Democrats that could have major implications for November 2024.
In Orange County—a county that Biden dominated by 20 points in 2020—some races were far closer than anticipated.
For example, Democrat-backed George Oliver won his seat on the Ocoee City Commission, in Orange County, by just 44 votes.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, who is now the presumptive GOP nominee for president, cleaned house in the state as he barrels toward a 2024 showdown with Biden.
