Politics

For most of the 20th century, the Democratic Party dominated Florida, as it did in most southern states. As late as the 1940s, a single Republican served in the Florida Legislature. Changing demographics soon challenged one-party control. In 1954, Floridians elected a Republican to Congress, the first since Reconstruction.  In 1966, Floridians elected a Republican governor. The rise of the Republican Party represents one of the many salient themes in modern Florida politics.

Today, Florida exists as the only megastate not dominated by a single party (unlike California, Texas, and New York). Florida has become indispensable and vital to the success of national parties and candidates, as witnessed by the 2000 election. As a bellwether state, Florida politics represents a microcosm of its core elements:  demographics, ethnicity, immigration, race, regionalism, urbanism, the media, and geography.