DeSantis urges Florida GOP to vote despite lagging early turnout

Governor Ron DeSantis visited the campaign trail on Wednesday to support U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee who will succeed him in office. While endorsing his successor, DeSantis spent a considerable portion of his day addressing concerns about voter engagement within his own party.

During a press conference in Crystal River, the governor discussed environmental grant funds being awarded across the state. He used the platform to warn GOP voters against complacency. DeSantis stated that he did not want to deliver bad news but felt the current turnout was not as strong as the party would like. He urged residents to get out and vote.

State data provided context for his concern. As of Tuesday afternoon, Republicans had cast more than 1.4 million early votes. This figure represented a lead of nearly 35,000 ballots over Democrats. However, that margin is smaller than the Republican lead at this same point in the 2022 midterm cycle. DeSantis noted that the early voting numbers for both in-person and mail-in ballots showed this tighter race compared to four years ago.

The governor attributed the lower enthusiasm to a shift in priorities among Republican parents in their 30s and 40s. He argued that the urgency felt during his 2022 reelection campaign, driven by pandemic policies, is less present now. DeSantis recalled that parents turned out in high numbers then because of issues like school masks, gender policies, and school openings. He suggested that these voters have withdrawn somewhat from the political process since those immediate pressures have subsided.

Hours before his Crystal River appearance, DeSantis held a rally in Brooksville with Donalds. There, he contrasted his own record with that of the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly. DeSantis emphasized his state’s early reopening during the pandemic and his insistence on keeping schools open without mandatory masks. He claimed that Donalds’s opponent had opposed Florida’s approach to handling the health crisis at every step.

DeSantis acknowledged that national economic frustrations, particularly regarding inflation, are affecting household finances. He advised voters not to let dissatisfaction with the national economy prevent them from participating in the local election. He specifically pointed to Amendment 3, a property tax cut that he has championed, as a key reason for Republicans to vote on Election Day.

He told supporters that while many people were unhappy with events in Washington, D.C., that anger should not keep them on the sidelines. DeSantis urged voters to use their ballots to reduce their property taxes under Amendment 3, ensuring that local priorities remained central to the election.