Florida Republicans Hold State Offices Despite Shrinking Majority and Rising Independent Voters

Florida Republicans retained the Governor’s Mansion, the Cabinet and control of both legislative chambers in the 2026 midterm elections despite strong Democratic gains elsewhere in the country. Governor Ron DeSantis described the national political climate as a “meteor strike” for Democrats and praised Florida as the only large conservative-leaning state that held the line.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds won with approximately 50 percent of the vote, even though Republicans held a substantial registration advantage and outspent his opponent nearly six to one. The party lost 15 seats in the Florida House, reducing its majority from 85 seats to 70, while Democrats now hold 50 seats and Republicans surrendered their legislative supermajorities.

Florida Republicans reported 1.5 million more registered voters than Democrats, a gap political science professor emerita Susan MacManus cited as central to their victories. Republican turnout reached 62.6 percent of registered voters, compared with 68.4 percent for Democrats, producing an overall turnout rate of 60.8 percent.

Voter registration has shifted significantly since 1992, when about 51 percent of registered voters were Democrats and 41 percent were Republicans. Today approximately 41.5 percent are Republicans, 30.2 percent are Democrats and 28.3 percent are registered with minor parties or no party affiliation.

Nearly four million Florida voters now decline to affiliate with either major party, even though unaffiliated voters generally cannot participate in partisan primaries. Registrations outside the two major parties have risen approximately 600 percent since 1992, while Republican registrations grew about 112 percent and Democratic registrations grew about 25 percent.

DeSantis launched a national press tour to discuss Florida’s continued Republican standing and the condition of the national GOP, though he declined to accept the label of Republican “savior.” MacManus noted that Republican wins were narrower than four years ago and warned that the results should concern party leaders as independent voters grow in number.