{"id":2152654,"date":"2024-01-18T12:43:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T17:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-democrats-pull-off-seat-flip-to-chip-into-desantiss-supermajority-as-he-was-campaigning-in-iowa\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T12:45:28","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T17:45:28","slug":"florida-democrats-pull-off-seat-flip-to-chip-into-desantiss-supermajority-as-he-was-campaigning-in-iowa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-democrats-pull-off-seat-flip-to-chip-into-desantiss-supermajority-as-he-was-campaigning-in-iowa\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Democrats successfully flipped a seat to reduce DeSantis&#8217;s supermajority while he campaigned in Iowa"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-democrats-pull-off-seat-flip-to-chip-into-desantiss-supermajority-as-he-was-campaigning-in-iowa%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2152654&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Florida Democrats Flip State \u2064House Seat in Special Election<\/h2>\n<p>In a surprising turn of events, Florida Democrats successfully flipped a state House seat blue in a special election on Tuesday. This victory came as Governor\u200c Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was busy campaigning after a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.<\/p>\n<p>Orlando Democrat Tom\u2064 Keen\u200c emerged as the winner, narrowly defeating his Republican opponent Erika Booth to fill the vacant \u2062House seat. Keen, a manager at Collins Aerospace and a U.S.\u200c Navy veteran, secured about 51% \u2063of the\u2063 vote, while Booth received approximately 49%. With this win, Keen will become\u200d the 36th Democrat in \u200dthe Florida House, which is still predominantly controlled \u200bby Republicans with 84 state representatives. Republicans also \u2064maintain a majority in the Florida \u200dSenate with a 28-12 ratio.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being outspent by \u200bBooth, Keen managed to secure endorsements from GOP lawmakers and received support from influential organizations like Americans for \u200dProsperity Action, the \u2064political arm of the powerful Koch network. Booth had a campaign\u200d fund\u2063 of $305,000, more than double the amount\u200c of\u200b Keen&#8217;s $115,386, according to Fresh Take Florida.<\/p>\n<p>The opportunity \u200dto contest\u200b State House District 35 arose last year when incumbent Republican state \u2064Rep. Fred\u200c Hawkins resigned to assume the presidency of South Florida State College. The district\u200c underwent\u2063 legislative \u200dredistricting based on the 2020 census and encompasses parts\u200b of Osceola and Orange counties.<\/p>\n<p>While Republicans \u200cdid \u2063not experience\u200b a nationwide &#8220;red wave,&#8221; they did achieve \u2063significant victories in state\u200c and local elections in Florida in 2022. They \u200cgained four seats in the state Senate and expanded their House majority. Hawkins,\u200c for instance, defeated his Democratic opponent by a margin of over 10 percentage \u200bpoints that year.<\/p>\n<p>In the 2022 gubernatorial race \u2062in Florida, \u2063DeSantis secured a resounding victory over Democrat Charlie Crist, winning \u2064by a margin of 59% to 40%. This landslide victory solidified the GOP&#8217;s dominance in what was once considered\u2062 a purple state. As\u2062 the Republican presidential candidate, DeSantis spent the\u2064 week\u2064 leading up to \u2062the special election campaigning in \u2063Iowa ahead of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary\u2064 election in New Hampshire next\u200b week.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Tonight, \u200cwe flipped a seat in the\u2062 Florida House of Representatives, electing veteran Tom\u2064 Keen. It&#8217;s the <strong>first<\/strong> Democratic flip of the year\u200b and the\u2063 second major loss for Ron DeSantis this week,&#8221;\u2062 the Florida Democratic Party proudly announced. &#8220;Don&#8217;t count Florida out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062 What factors contributed to Keen&#8217;s success in resonating with\u2064 voters in the Orlando district?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Florida state House, tipping the balance slightly in favor of Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>This special election was closely watched, as it was seen \u200cas a test of Democratic momentum leading up to\u200c the\u2064 2020 general election. Republicans have traditionally held a strong grip on the state of Florida,\u200b but Democrats are hoping to gain ground and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-least-seven-dead-amid-chaos-at-kabul-airport\/\" title=\"At Least Seven Dead Amid Chaos At Kabul Airport\">make significant gains<\/a> in the \u200dupcoming election.<\/p>\n<p>Keen&#8217;s victory is seen \u2064as a\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-controlled-house-passes-1-9-trillion-stimulus-bill-two-dems-vote-against-it\/\" title=\"Democrat-Controlled House Passes .9 Trillion Stimulus Bill; Two Dems Vote Against It\">significant step forward<\/a> for the Democratic Party in Florida. His campaign focused on critical issues such as\u200b healthcare,\u2063 education, and the economy, resonating with voters in the Orlando district. Keen&#8217;s background \u2062as a military \u2062veteran and his experience in the private sector \u2063also appealed\u200b to a wide range of voters.<\/p>\n<p>On\u2063 the other hand, Booth&#8217;s campaign focused on conservative principles and emphasized her support for President Donald Trump. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to secure enough votes to win the election.<\/p>\n<p>This\u200d victory for Democrats indicates a potential shift in the political landscape of Florida. As the battleground state becomes increasingly competitive, both parties \u200bwill likely intensify\u2063 their\u200b efforts and pour more resources into campaigning.<\/p>\n<p>It is important to note that\u2062 this special election is just one piece of the puzzle leading up to the \u200cgeneral election. While it does provide some insight into voter sentiment and party strength, it is not necessarily an indicator of how the state will vote \u2063in November.<\/p>\n<p>However, Democrats are\u200c optimistic and\u2062 see this victory as a sign \u2062of things to come. They hope to build on this momentum and \u2063work towards flipping more House seats in the state. They believe that Florida \u2064is ripe for\u200d change, and they are determined to make significant gains in the\u200d upcoming election.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans, on the \u2063other hand, are\u200d not deterred by this loss. They still \u200dhold \u200ca majority in the state House and\u2062 remain confident in their ability\u200b to retain\u200b control. They have pledged to continue\u200b fighting for their conservative principles and are confident that they can maintain\u2063 their hold \u2063on \u200cthe state.<\/p>\n<p>As the political landscape \u2064in Florida\u200d continues to evolve, the upcoming general election is sure to be a heated battle between the two \u200cparties. Both Democrats and Republicans will be working tirelessly to rally support, sway undecided voters, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/diamondbacks-erase-early-deficit-again-and-beat-brewers-5-2-to-sweep-nl-wild-card-series\/\" title=\"Diamondbacks overcome early setback, defeat Brewers 5-2 to sweep NL Wild Card Series.\">secure crucial victories<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the special election in Florida demonstrates the growing competitiveness of the state \u200band the potential for political shifts. With each passing election, both parties are vying for power and looking to make their mark in this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ga-poll-watcher-it-expert-non-trump-supporter-affidavit-sudden-surge-of-20000-mail-in-votes-for-biden-in-early-hours-on-nov\/\" title=\"GA Poll Watcher, IT Expert, Non-Trump Supporter Affidavit: Sudden Surge of 20,000 Mail-In-Votes For Biden In Early Hours On Nov\">critical swing state<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Only time will tell who will emerge victorious, but\u200b one\u2062 thing is certain: \u2063Florida will play a significant role in shaping the political landscape of the \u200dUnited States in the coming years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida Democrats quietly won a state House seat in a special election while Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigned after his Iowa caucuses loss. Tom Keen, an Orlando Democrat and Collins Aerospace manager, narrowly beat Republican Erika Booth to fill the vacant seat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2667,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2152654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2152654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2667"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2152654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2152654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2152654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2152654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2152654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}