Republican Party of Florida | |
---|---|
Chairman | Evan Power |
Governor | Ron DeSantis |
Senate President | Ben Albritton |
Speaker of the House | Daniel Perez |
Senate Majority Leader | Jim Boyd |
Florida House Majority Leader | Tyler Sirois |
Founded | 1867 |
Headquarters | 420 E. Jefferson Street Tallahassee, FL 32301 |
Student wing | Florida College Republicans |
Youth wing | Florida Young Republicans Florida Teen Age Republicans |
Women's wing | Florida Federation of Republican Women |
Membership (2024) | 5,635,902 [1] |
Ideology | |
National affiliation | Republican Party |
Colors | Red |
Senate | 28 / 40 |
House of Representatives | 87 / 120 |
Statewide Executive Offices | 6 / 6 |
U.S. Senate | 2 / 2 (Florida seats) |
U.S. House of Representatives | 20 / 28 (Florida seats) |
Election symbol | |
Website | |
www.florida.gop | |
The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Florida. It is currently the state's dominant party, controlling 20 out of 28 of Florida's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, the governorship and all other statewide offices, and has supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature. [3]
The Republican Party held power in state politics during the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War and included African American legislators and officials. Democrats regained power in Florida and across the South until the 1960s.
Several of Florida's governors and U.S. senators were Republican after the Civil War during the Reconstruction era. There were Republican African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era in Florida. The Republican Convention of 1867 in Tallahassee was the first statewide convention of Republicans. [4] Josiah T. Walls was a delegate to the convention.
Harrison Reed organized the Union Republican Club in Jacksonville and sent a delegation to the National Union National Convention in 1864. [5] After the American Civil War black Republicans mainly joined the Union League organized by Daniel Richards and William U. Saunders. Richards was able to have pro-black rights resolutions passed at conventions. Reed stated they were "pandering to Negroes". [6]
Richards, Saunders, and Liberty Billings campaigned for black support for the 1868 Florida Constitutional Convention. Edward McPherson, Clerk of the United States House of Representatives withdrew printing contracts from the "Radical Republican" supporting Jacksonville Florida Times , [7] it later went bankrupt, instead supporting the moderate Florida Union . Richards accused Freedmen's Bureau officials of working against him.
Richards and Saunders' wing controlled a majority of the delegates at the constitutional convention. [8] [9] They submitted their proposed constitution to George Meade and held a nomination convention that selected a gubernatorial ticket of Billings and Saunders and Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs for Florida's at-large congressional district. However, Reed's faction, claiming that the Radicals did not have a quorum, held another meeting and received support from Meade, who later approved their constitution. The Radical's constitution made most local and state offices elected while the moderate's constitution made those offices appointed and reduce representation of black counties in the state legislature. The Florida Radicals failed to gather support in Congress for their constitution, with even Benjamin Butler supporting the moderate's constitution. [9] The constitution was approved by voters in 1868. [10]
Democrats regained control of Florida's state politics and across the South. Their control lasted until 1966 when Claude R. Kirk, Jr. was elected. He became the first Republican governor elected in the state since the 19th century Reconstruction era. After Richard Nixon's victory in 1968, the state only voted Democratic in presidential elections in 1976 (Jimmy Carter) 1996 (Bill Clinton), 2008 and 2012 (Barack Obama). The 2000 presidential election was decided by a margin of 537 votes out of approximately 6 million cast, giving George W. Bush the presidency over Al Gore. Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy, which took advantage of objections to the advances of the American Civil Rights Movement.[ citation needed ] This resulted in a regional political realignment for the Southern United States. The number of people registered with the party rose from 116,000 in 1952 to 1,139,000 in 1976. [11]
The Florida Senate was still dominated by Democrats until 1992, when a majority of Republicans was elected. The Florida House of Representatives turned Republican after the November 1996 election. Since then, the number of Democrats in both chambers have continued to drop.
The Florida Legislature became the first legislature in any of the states of the former Confederacy to come under complete Republican control when the Republicans gained control of the House and Senate in the 1996 election. In the 2006 election the Democrats actually gained seats in the State House, the first instance of this occurring since the early 1980s.
In the 2014 gubernatorial election, the Republican nominee was Governor Rick Scott. He defeated the Democratic nominee, former governor Charlie Crist, who was once elected as a Republican.
The Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida is Evan Powers, elected by RPOF members in January 2024.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is responsible for promoting Republican campaign activities, developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. Senator Mel Martinez of Florida is the party's former General Chairman. Michael Whatley is the current Chairman of RNC. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House and otherwise by the Party's state committees. The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the Republican National Convention, raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.
The Republican House and Senate caucuses have separate fund raising and strategy committees. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) assists in House races, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in Senate races. They each raise over $100 million per election cycle, and play important roles in recruiting strong state candidates. The Republican Governors Association (RGA) is a discussion group that seldom funds state races.
The membership of the party is primarily made up of fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, neoconservatives, and members of the Christian right.
Republicans favor free-market policies supporting business and oppose increases to the minimum wage.
Republicans are generally opposed to a single-payer healthcare system, such as that found in Canada or in most of Europe. [12] They also oppose the Affordable Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid under the Act. [13]
Republicans oppose labor unions and have supported right-to-work legislation (with a right-to-work law currently in effect in Florida).
Most of the Republicans' national and state candidates oppose abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgender rights, favor capital punishment (which is still used in Florida), and support gun ownership rights.
Republicans advocate for charter schools and school vouchers; many have denounced the performance of public schools.[ citation needed ]
Socially conservative Republicans support voluntary organized prayer in public schools and the inclusion of teaching creationism or intelligent design alongside evolution.
The mascot symbol, historically, is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol. [14] In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic rooster. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots.
After the 2000 election, the color red became associated with the GOP although it has not been officially adopted by the party. On election night 2000, for the first time ever, all major broadcast networks utilized the same color scheme for the electoral map: red states for George W. Bush (Republican nominee) and blue states for Al Gore (Democratic nominee). Although the color red is unofficial and informal, it is widely recognized by the media and the public to represent the GOP. Partisan supporters now often use the color red for promotional materials and campaign merchandise.
Lincoln Day, Reagan Day, or Lincoln-Reagan Day, is the primary annual fundraising celebration held by many state and county organizations of the Republican Party. The events are named after Republican Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.
As of 2023, the party controls both U.S. Senate seats, 20 out of the 28 seats Florida is apportioned in the U.S. House, all statewide offices, and both chambers of the Florida state legislature.
Florida Republicans have consistently won gubernatorial elections in the state since 1998.
Former governors of Florida |
---|
Harrison Reed |
Ossian Hart |
Marcellus Stearns |
Claude Kirk |
Bob Martinez |
Jeb Bush |
Charlie Crist (Elected as a Republican, left party during term) |
Rick Scott |
Former U.S. senators from Florida |
---|
George LeMieux |
Mel Martinez |
Connie Mack III |
Paula Hawkins |
Edward Gurney |
Simon Conover |
Abijah Gilbert |
Thomas Osborn |
Adonijah Welch |
Election | Gubernatorial candidate | Votes | Vote % | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1860 | No candidate | |||
1865 | ||||
1868 | Harrison Reed | 14,421 | 59.1% | Won |
1872 | Ossian B. Hart | 17,603 | 52.38% | Won |
1876 | Marcellus Stearns | 24,116 | 49.49% | Lost |
1880 | Simon B. Conover | 23,307 | 45.1% | Lost |
1884 | Frank W. Pope | 27,865 | 46.47% | Lost |
1888 | V.J. Shipman | 26,385 | 39.63% | Lost |
1892 | No candidate | |||
1896 | Edward R. Gunby | 8,290 | 20.3% | Lost |
1900 | Matthew B. MacFarlane | 6,238 | 17.27% | Lost |
1904 | Matthew B. MacFarlane | 6,357 | 17.37% | Lost |
1908 | John M. Cheney | 6,453 | 15.4% | Lost |
1912 | William R. O'Neal | 2,646 | 5.46% | Lost |
1916 | George W. Allen | 10,333 | 12.47% | Lost |
1920 | George E. Gay | 23,788 | 17.93% | Lost |
1924 | William R. O'Neal | 17,499 | 17.21% | Lost |
1928 | William J. Howey | 95,018 | 39.03% | Lost |
1932 | William J. Howey | 93,323 | 33.38% | Lost |
1936 | E.E. Callaway | 59,832 | 19.09% | Lost |
1940 | No candidate | |||
1944 | Bert L. Acker | 96,321 | 21.06% | Lost |
1948 | Bert L. Acker | 76,153 | 16.64% | Lost |
1952 | Harry S. Swan | 210,009 | 25.17% | Lost |
1954 [23] | J. Thomas Watson† [24] | 69,852 | 19.52% | Lost |
1956 | William A. Washburne Jr. | 266,980 | 26.31% | Lost |
1960 | George C. Petersen | 569,936 | 40.16% | Lost |
1964 | Charles R. Holley | 686,297 | 41.26% | Lost |
1966 | Claude R. Kirk Jr. | 821,190 | 55.13% | Won |
1970 | Claude R. Kirk Jr. | 746,243 | 43.12% | Lost |
1974 | Jerry Thomas | 709,438 | 38.8% | Lost |
1978 | Jack Eckerd | 1,123,888 | 44.41% | Lost |
1982 | Skip Bafalis | 949,013 | 35.3% | Lost |
1986 | Bob Martinez | 1,847,525 | 54.56% | Won |
1990 | Bob Martinez | 1,535,068 | 43.48% | Lost |
1994 | Jeb Bush | 2,071,068 | 49.23% | Lost |
1998 | Jeb Bush | 2,191,105 | 55.27% | Won |
2002 | Jeb Bush | 2,856,845 | 56.0% | Won |
2006 | Charlie Crist | 2,519,845 | 52.20% | Won |
2010 | Rick Scott | 2,619,335 | 48.87% | Won |
2014 | Rick Scott | 2,865,343 | 48.14% | Won |
2018 | Ron DeSantis | 4,076,186 | 49.59% | Won |
2022 | Ron DeSantis | 4,614,210 | 59.37% | Won |
In American politics, the Southern strategy was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. As the civil rights movement and dismantling of Jim Crow laws in the 1950s and 1960s visibly deepened existing racial tensions in much of the Southern United States, Republican politicians such as presidential candidates Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater developed strategies that successfully contributed to the political realignment of many white, conservative voters in the South who had traditionally supported the Democratic Party so consistently that the voting pattern was named the Solid South. The strategy also helped to push the Republican Party much more to the right. By winning all of the South, a presidential candidate could obtain the presidency with minimal support elsewhere.
The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During this period, the Democratic Party controlled southern state legislatures and most local, state and federal officeholders in the South were Democrats. During the late 19th century and the early 20th century, Southern Democrats disenfranchised nearly all blacks in all the former states of the Confederate States of America. This resulted in a one-party system, in which a candidate's victory in Democratic primary elections was tantamount to election to the office itself. White primaries were another means that the Democrats used to consolidate their political power, excluding blacks from voting.
The Mississippi Republican Party is the Mississippi state affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party chairman is Frank Bordeaux, and the party is based in Jackson, Mississippi. The original Republican Party of Mississippi was founded following the American Civil War, and the current incarnation of the Mississippi Republican Party was founded in 1956. The party would grow in popularity after the 1964 Civil Rights Act and is currently the dominant party in the state.
For about a hundred years, from after Reconstruction until the 1990s, the Democratic Party dominated Texas politics, making it part of the Solid South. In a reversal of alignments, since the late 1960s, the Republican Party has grown more prominent. By the 1990s, it became the state's dominant political party and remains so to this day, as Democrats have not won a statewide race since Bob Bullock won the 1994 Lieutenant gubernatorial election.
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The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in South Carolina. It is one of two major political parties in the state, along with the South Carolina Democratic Party, and is the dominant party. Incumbent governor Henry McMaster, as well as senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham, are members of the Republican party. Graham has served since January 3, 2003, having been elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020; Tim Scott was appointed in 2013 by then-governor Nikki Haley, who is also a Republican.
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The Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the two major political parties in the state and is chaired by Nikema Williams.
The Kentucky Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is currently the minority party in the state, as the rival Republican Party of Kentucky overwhelmingly dominates in the state legislature, congressional delegation, and presidential elections. However, the party does currently control the governorship and lieutenant governorship, and maintains some strength in local elections.
The Maine Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Maine.
The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party's headquarters are in Austin, Texas.
The Alabama Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in Alabama. It is the dominant political party in Alabama. The state party is governed by the Alabama Republican Executive Committee. The committee usually meets twice a year. As of the February 23, 2019 meeting in Birmingham, the committee is composed of 463 members. Most of the committee's members are elected in district elections across Alabama. The district members are elected in the Republican Primary once every four years, with the most recent election for the committee having been on June 5, 2018. The new committee takes office following the general election in November 2018. In addition, all 67 county GOP chairmen have automatic seats as voting members. The state chairman can appoint 10 members. Each county committee can appoint bonus members based on a formula that theoretically could add 312 seats, although that formula currently calls for only about 50 seats.
The Republican Party of Louisiana(LAGOP) (French: Parti républicain de Louisiane, Spanish: Partido Republicano de Luisiana) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its chair is Derek Babcock who was elected in 2024. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all but one of Louisiana's six U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, all statewide executive offices, and both houses of the state legislature.
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Elections in Florida are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even-numbered years, as provided for in Article 6 of the Florida Constitution. For state elections, the Governor of Florida, Lieutenant Governor, and the members of the Florida Cabinet, and members of the Florida Senate are elected every four years; members of the Florida House of Representatives are elected every two years.
Politics of Florida reflect a state that has experienced conflict between its liberal southern region and its traditionally conservative northern region. Politics often revolve around budgeting and how money for budgets should be raised.
The 1877 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held in January 1877. Incumbent Republican Senator George S. Boutwell, who had won a special election for the remainder of Henry Wilson's term, was defeated by reformist U.S. Representative George Frisbie Hoar.
The State government of Arkansas is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. These consist of the state governor's office, a bicameral state legislature known as the Arkansas General Assembly, and a state court system. The Arkansas Constitution delineates the structure and function of the state government. Since 1963, Arkansas has had four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like all other states, it has two seats in the U.S. Senate.
On January 15, 1867, Simon Cameron was elected to the United States Senate by the Pennsylvania General Assembly for the third time; it had previously chosen him in 1845 and 1857. The legislature voted for Cameron over the incumbent, Senator Edgar Cowan, who, though a Republican, was endorsed by the Democratic legislative caucus. With the Republican Party holding a large majority in the legislature, the main battle was for its endorsement: the caucus of Republican legislators had voted for Cameron over Governor Andrew Curtin.