“Progressive groups and liberal billionaires targeted the Florida House with tens of millions of dollars,” incoming Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said in a statement. “They showed up pushing their out of state agenda on Florida voters. And [Tuesday] was an unprecedented win for House Republicans.”
Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by 375,029 votes in Florida, more than twice the size of his 2016 margin of victory. Riding his coattails, down-ballot Republicans crushed long-in-the-making Democratic House campaigns in nearly every region of the state.
In the Tampa Bay area, Republican Linda Chaney defeated incumbent Democrat Jennifer Webb 52-47 in House District 69.
On the other side of the state in St. Lucie County, Rep. Delores Hogan Johnson lost to Republican Dana Trabulsy 52-47 in House District 84.
And in South Florida, Republican Tom Fabricio ousted Democratic Rep. Cindy Polo in House District 103, which includes portions of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Fabricio won the seat 54-45.
Republicans also won two hotly contested open seats.
Rep. Fiona McFarland bested Democrat Drake Buckman 54-45 in House District 72, a seat opened when Democratic Rep. Margaret Good made a bid for Congress. Good lost on Tuesday.
And in Miami-Dade County, Republican Demi Busatta Cabrera topped Democrat Jean-Pierre Bado in House District 114, vacated by Democratic Rep. Javier Fernández, who lost his bid for a Florida Senate seat on Election Day.
Sprowls, who begins his two-year term as House speaker on Nov. 17, said the five pickups are a clear sign from voters.
“We won big and received a mandate from the voters to continue to stand up for Floridians and Florida values,” he said.
Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/04/florida-house-democrats-lose-434187
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