Florida Democrats, in person for first time during pandemic, look for winning 2022 message

ORLANDO — In a state where Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, the Governor's Office and Cabinet, the majority of Congressional seats, in some respects 2022 promises to only get worse for Democrats.

Republicans control reapportionment, as well, so most pundits believe they will likely grow their majority, while Gov. Ron DeSantis — widely championed by GOP supporters as a 2024 presidential contender — recently announced Republicans have overtaken Democrats in statewide voter registration.

With this backdrop, hundreds of Florida Democrats this weekend gathered in person for the first time in more than two years to meet one another, hear from their own candidates and party leaders and strategize how to shake things up next year with a ballot including DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio seeking re-election.

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Leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates Charlie Crist, Nikki Fried and Annette Taddeo had a presence at the Leadership Blue conference at the Rosen Plaza in Orlando.

Monica Readus, president of the Democratic Women's Club of Florida, and a Melbourne Beach resident, said much of the party leadership is new and meeting in person has been a source of inspiration.

"I feel like we're in the room together, we're getting jazzed up, we're getting charged up, we're not afraid to work together anymore," she said.

'Work' begins for Democrats with voter registration

Florida Democrats aren't giving up, she said, pointing to the 2020 election where two Republican-held senate seats in Georgia were flipped to Democrats.

"Look what happened in Georgia. I think it gave us a really good playbook and so folks aren't really worried about who's doing what, who's getting credit and all that stuff. We don't care," Readus said. "We're just going to roll up our sleeves and do the work together. And I feel like everybody feels like that now."

"The work" for Democrats starts with turning around that voter registration trend.

Taylor Aguilera, a Democratic Party voter registration trainer from the Tampa Bay region, led a session on that subject, made more challenging by the new Senate Bill 90 law that tightened rules for third-party voter registration organizations.

Signing up voters was crucial to Barack Obama winning Florida in 2008 and 2012, Aguilera said.

"That's why we're involved with registering voters way ahead of 2022 so we can build a strong foundation of Democratic voters to get out and vote in our gubernatorial and Senate elections," Aguilera said.

"So 2022, is going to be a huge election for us. We have two statewide seats that are coming up. For Senate, we definitely want to flip that seat so we can contribute to having a stronghold in Washington and get Democratic representation in Florida, as well as in the governor's race. DeSantis has been extremely dangerous for Floridians and this is our shot to take him out before his presidential bid."

Ellen Wintermuth, president of the Ormond Beach Area Democratic Club, said her group has been actively registering voters for four months, setting up tables and taking clipboards to events. One example: Outreach at Daytona State College during its opening days this summer netted a few voters.

"We've not been going door to door because of the COVID stuff. I don't think anybody wants anybody knocking on their door at this point. But we have been going out to events," she said.

"We reach out. We try to focus on the issues. And make it positive. There's a lot of things out there that everybody agrees on. We need to make sure that we have enough water and that it's clean," she said. "I'm from Ormond Beach, so we don't need any more clear-cutting and making Wawas. That's a big hot-button in Ormond. And so it's been a lot of environmental issues that have pulled us together across the party lines. We'd like to unify people and encourage them to vote on the issues that are important to all of us."

Democrats frustrated by Florida voters

Husband Kenneth Wintermuth was among Democrats expressing frustration that election after election, Florida voters have approved constitutional amendments that are supported by Democrats, such as restoring felons' voting rights and raising the minimum wage, only to turn around and vote conservative Republicans into office.

"It just doesn't make sense. They're voting one way, the way they feel in their heart (on the amendments), and then another way where they've been coerced to vote (for Republicans)," he said.

U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, who represents Osceola County and part of Orange County, said the party needs to build on the successes of Congress in 2021.

"We passed the American Rescue Plan to make sure we get shots in arms and money in pockets," Soto said. "With the Build Back Better Act package passed into law, you can check another one (showing) that Democrats get the job done."

Democrat-led spending plans will address infrastructure needs, protect clean water, expand renewable energy and make broadband internet more accessible, Soto said.

These ideas are addressing real problems, when in contrast, Democrats say Republicans controlling Florida have addressed "phantom" issues like voter fraud.

Rep. Joe Geller, a Democrat from Aventura, said voter fraud is less likely than getting hit by lightning.

"I mean, there were like 30 cases out of a billion votes cast over a course of years. Nobody with very rare exception, is willing to risk going to jail to get one extra vote," he said. "My colleagues in the Legislature, they're vigilant to prevent something that doesn't happen, something that hasn't happened, something that's not going to happen."

Responding to Geller, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who represents Seminole County and part of Orange County, offered up another possible message for Democrats.

"A good campaign slogan for 2022 might be as direct as what you said, 'Dems, don't get screwed.'" Murphy said. "Let's get out there and do all of these things, right. ... It's no surprise to me that a party who has members who believe in aliens with space lasers would believe there's rampant fraud here on Earth."

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida Democrats strategize how to win in 2022 at Orlando conference