Florida Democrats Deliver Their Closing Argument in Daytona Beach: Nearly 30 Years of One-Party Rule Is the Problem

Florida Democrats made their closing argument of the 2026 campaign in Daytona Beach, where party chair Nikki Fried joined Democratic elected officials and community leaders days before the November 3 midterms. The party framed the choice as a referendum on nearly three decades of one-party Republican rule in Tallahassee — and on an economy its speakers said is failing the people who live with it daily.

Democratic speakers told reporters that Republicans cannot outrun their records on the rising cost of living, pointing to gas above $4 a gallon and climbing health care premiums, and noting that Republican governor candidate Byron Donalds gives President Donald Trump's economy an 'A' rating. The party also argued that Donalds and his fellow Republicans have recently tried to distance themselves from Trump — who has held numerous Florida rallies pushing Republicans up and down the ballot — by spotlighting support from Governor Ron DeSantis instead, even as Democrats highlighted Trump's declining approval ratings.

'No pep rally changes what Floridians live with every single day: the consequences of Trump's failed agenda and nearly 30 years of Republican control in Tallahassee,' Fried said. 'Homeowners are paying insurance bills that feel like a second mortgage. Power bills keep climbing because state regulators approved the largest utility rate hike in American history. Hundreds of thousands of Floridians lost their health coverage this year after Republicans in Washington let health care tax credits expire. Floridians deserve more than that.' Voters deliver the verdict Tuesday; polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.