Republican voters came out swinging in Florida on Election Day, flooding polling places Tuesday morning and casting nearly twice as many in-person ballots as registered Democrats by 10 a.m.
The early numbers delivered an encouraging sign for the GOP after Democrats spent weeks touting strong turnout during the state’s early voting period.
According to Florida Politics, more than 301,000 registered Republicans had voted in person by 10 a.m., compared with approximately 154,000 registered Democrats.
Another 138,000 voters registered with no party affiliation or third parties had also cast ballots.
That gave Republicans an Election Day turnout advantage of roughly 147,000 voters over Democrats in the opening hours of voting.
When early and mail-in ballots were included, Republicans accounted for approximately 41% of all ballots cast statewide, compared with nearly 37% for Democrats. Unaffiliated and third-party voters represented the remaining 22%.
The figures measure voter registration, not which candidates received those votes. They also represent a snapshot from Tuesday morning, rather than final turnout.
Still, the numbers underscore the importance of Election Day participation for Florida Republicans, who have traditionally performed better at the polls on Election Day while Democrats have relied more heavily on early and mail voting.
Screenshot-X
The development comes as Republicans seek to defend their political dominance in the Sunshine State against a renewed Democratic effort to regain statewide offices.
Florida voters are deciding several major contests, including the races for governor, U.S. Senate, congressional seats and positions in the state Legislature.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds faces Democrat David Jolly, while GOP Sen. Ashley Moody is competing against Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon.
Democrats entered Tuesday hoping that increased early voting participation in counties including Duval, Hillsborough and Orange would translate into stronger statewide results.
Orange County Democratic Party Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago acknowledged Monday that his party needed substantial turnout from Democratic strongholds.
“We need to punch up above our weight, and we need to make up a huge difference that our Democratic candidates might not be able to find in other counties,” Santiago said.
“I’m really hopeful that Orange County can put both David Jolly and Angie Nixon over the finish line.”
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, spent the final stretch urging GOP voters to participate, warning that Democrats were attempting to turn the governor’s race into a referendum on President Donald Trump.
“Here’s what the Democrats are doing in Florida. What they are doing is they’re just saying Donalds voted with Trump — Donalds, Trump, Donalds, Trump. They’re trying to make the Governor’s race a referendum on President Trump,” DeSantis said during an Election Eve interview.
The governor acknowledged that the national political environment presented challenges for his party, even as Republicans maintained their organizational strength in Florida.
DeSantis said “Republican candidates have the advantage, but it’s just a different atmosphere” because of Donald Trump‘s approval ratings.
Both parties are now watching whether their respective turnout strategies produce enough votes to secure victories across the state.
Jolly and his running mate, Gwen Graham, are scheduled to spend election night in Tampa, while Donalds plans to attend an event in Hollywood, Florida.
Polls remain open until 7 p.m. local time.
Although Tuesday morning’s turnout figures cannot determine the election’s outcome, they show Republicans participating in substantially greater numbers than Democrats during the opening hours of Election Day voting.
As of 10 a.m., the GOP had recorded more than 301,000 in-person votes, nearly double the Democratic total, as Florida’s consequential midterm contests entered their final hours.
