TALLAHASSEE, Fla — Just 100 days out from Election Day high-ranking Florida Democrats say they need more investment from the DNC and Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign to seriously compete this November.
It comes after a groundswell of grassroots enthusiasm for Harris in Florida this week seems to make the Sunshine State harder to ignore this election cycle.
The pictures were all over social media as the campaign’s Florida team did more than 30 events this weekend: phone banks, voter canvassing, and a viral caravan of perhaps 500 golf carts in the Villages cruising through a ruby red portion of Sumter County.
Florida Democrats said the burst of energy was real and unlike anything they’ve seen in recent memory. They reported Sunday that nearly 10,000 people have asked to volunteer in the last week. The interest overwhelmed some county offices that lacked the campaign infrastructure to make use of all the help.
"Yes… I can't deny that,” said Jennifer Griffith, Pinellas County Dems Chair. “We were staffed, basically, for a very, very meager campaign. Florida fell down in the tiered system for the national."
And now senior members of the state party tell us they're lobbying the DNC, and especially the national Harris Campaign, for more support. Speaking on background, officials said they were using this week's momentum surge as leverage to seek more funding ASAP, especially after the national Harris team raked in $200 million in less than a week.
"Not saying we can definitely win, but surely competitive without the investment," said one official. "Imagine what we can do with real investment."
The DNC and Harris (formerly Biden) Campaign have said for months Florida was "in play.” DNC Chair Jamie Harrison was among them. When visiting the state capital last month, Harrison said he was there because he understood the importance of Florida.
"The stars are aligning the planets are aligning,” said Harrison. “And Florida, Florida, Florida is going to be in that mix."
But their backing in Florida has seemed, at times, like window dressing. It’s minimal compared to other battleground states. Wisconsin, for example, has at least 48 Harris Campaign offices. Florida, under a dozen, manned by just 33 full-time staffers.
Senior Democrats warned that if things don't change, Florida's top-ticket candidates and down-ballot races might suffer. This could potentially set Florida behind for 2028 and redistricting in 2030.
Florida Republicans, meanwhile, remain confident in victory. Especially with their ongoing lead in voter registrations over Democrats— around 1 million at last check.
"Look, I had said when I was party chair, that we were a red state that just happened to be engaged in close races,” said Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill). “But with this type of voter advantage, we're starting off with almost a 10-point advantage."
Members like the former state chair, Sen. Ingoglia, told us recently he believed Florida's GOP status was locked down.
"The State of Florida is no longer a swing state,” he said. “It is a deep red state, and will stay that way for decades to come."
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
