Florida Democratic Party

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The Florida Democratic Party is the official organization for Democrats in the state of Florida.

History

The Florida Democratic Party has historically dominated Florida's state and local politics. Florida's Governor's Mansion was closed to Republicans from 1877 until 1967, when Claude R. Kirk, a Republican from Jacksonville, was sworn-in as Governor of Florida.

Florida politics was largely dominated by the Democrats until Nixon's Southern Strategy, which took advantage of white objections to the advances of the American Civil Rights Movement resulted in a regional political realignment for the south. After Nixon's resignation in 1973, the state only went Democrat in presidential elections in 1976 (Jimmy Carter) and in 1996 (Bill Clinton). The presidential election in 2000 was decided by a margin of 537 votes out of approximately 6 million cast, giving George W. Bush the presidency over Al Gore.

The Florida Senate was dominated by Democrats until 1992, when a majority of Republicans was elected. The Florida House of Representatives turned Republican after the November 1996 election. Since then, the number of Democrats in both chambers have continued to drop. The Florida Legislature became the first legislature in any of the states of the former confederacy to come under complete Republican control when the Republicans gained control of the House and Senate in the 1996 election.

In the 2006 election, two prominent Florida Democrats are running for the party's nomination: U.S. Representative Jim Davis from Tampa, Florida and Democratic State Senator Rod Smith from Alachua, Florida.

The most Democratic region of the state is South Florida, which contains the large cities of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The Tampa Bay region is also relatively Democratic, although it has become much more competitive in recent electoral cycles. Leon County, which contains the state capitol of Tallahassee, is a strong Democratic area. North Florida and the panhandle are also very Democratic on the local level, although it is a solid Republican stronghold in presidential elections.

The current chairman of the Florida Democratic Party is former U.S. Representative Karen Thurman.

External links

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