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Florida Republicans in panic as voters turn against them: report

rawstory.com · 5h · first reportShare

Florida Republicans have spent years treating the Sunshine State as an unshakeable red firewall. Nearly two dozen GOP operatives, consultants and politicians now tell Politico that confidence is starting to crack. The same national headwinds hurting Republicans elsewhere, including Trump's war in Iran, resulting high gas prices, Hispanic voters souring on aggressive immigration enforcement, and persistent affordability concerns, are hitting Florida too. Polling now shows several statewide races within the margin of error, including for governor and U.S. Senate. Former Florida GOP congressman Carlos Curbelo, who lost his own seat during the 2018 blue wave, said the mood among former colleagues feels eerily familiar. "It's definitely 2018 vibes out there," Curbelo said. "A lot of former colleagues are bracing for the worst." One anonymous Florida GOP county chair put the party's condition in stark terms: "We are not on life support. But we are hemorrhaging." Republicans still hold struct