Why is the DNC Investing in Special Elections for This Increasingly Red State?

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

66% : Trump won Florida in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
65% : Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is still serving in Congress, though she'll likely be confirmed soon as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
61% : Trump has endorsed both Fine and Patronis.
59% : Trump is now also a residence of the Sunshine State, which helps him even more there.
55% : Punchbowl also covered such news on Thursday morning, in the context of an overall House majority when it comes to the 2026 midterms: We're confident that barring a major shock, the 2026 midterms - naturally - will be a referendum on Trump.
55% : Further, Democrats are mentioned as the ones reportedly making the race about him, even in a race that Punchbowl makes clear is "a longshot..." When it comes to the counties in the 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, Trump saw some of his best wins in the state. Democrats laughably thought they could gin up support for Harris in Florida based on constitutional amendments supporting abortion and legalized marijuana, as we covered last September.
54% : President Trump carried the state by 13 points in November.
52% : For starters, Trump won the popular vote in 2024.
45% : It's curious that Trump is mentioned in the context of Florida and how he has "engaged" Democrats in these races.
44% : While pulling off a stunning political comeback, Trump may have kicked off a major realignment in American voting behavior.
38% : Trump likely thought of that when he tapped the three to serve in his administration.
38% : Granted, Trump can't run for president again, not unless the Constitution is amended to allow him to do so, but his influence may still matter.
38% : She's gone after Trump and Elon Musk from her X account, while the Florida Democrats' account has been mentioning the special elections with posts and reposts, especially as early voting starts on Saturday.
37% : But the 2026 midterms will prove a massive test of whether these new converts to the GOP will turn out in an election without Trump on the ballot.
30% : But Trump is in a drastically different political position than at the same point in his first term.
29% : With Trump riling up the base, Democrats are so engaged that they've dumped more than $9 million into a longshot House special election in an R+14 Florida seat.

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