Elected Florida Democrat Switches Registration to the Republican Party

Florida State Rep. Susan Valdes, representing the 64th House District, has switched political parties from Democratic to Republican, citing disillusionment with Team Blue.

Having joined the Florida Legislature in 2018, Rep Valdes was recently elected for the fourth time as a Democrat. Her defection represents a shifting political landscape as Florida gets redder. Over the years, the Sunshine State has transformed from a Swing State to a solid GOP stronghold, thanks to the coalition that Donald Trump has built.

Valdes immediately joins the Republican Conference in the Florida House of Representatives, forming the GOP supermajority.

“In the House, I have long known that no one has a monopoly on good ideas. I will not waste my final two years in the Florida Legislature being ignored in a caucus whose leadership expects me to ignore the needs of my community,” she said in a statement.

Valdes said she was “tired of being the party of protesting” and wanted to roll up her sleeves and work to solve problems for the people of her West Tampa home, Hillsborough County, and Florida. “… I know the best way to do that is to stand with Speaker Perez and join the Republican supermajority in the Florida House of Representatives.”

For the first time in decades, Democrats fielded candidates in every seat, including some living outside their legislative districts, and lost spectacularly. 

For example, Joel Vodola, who vied for the state’s House District 118, lived over 200 miles away and was looking for a place to settle a day before the election. Another Democratic candidate, Charles Andrew Lewis, who vied for South Florida’s District 39, lives 480 miles away. 

Such candidates are unlikely to be in touch with their people’s needs, a major problem for the Democratic Party nationally, which helped cause Kamala Harris’s humiliating defeat. 

In November, Florida Democrats sponsored ads to promote guaranteed access to abortion in the Sunshine State to oppose restrictions passed by the Republican-controlled legislature. 

The ads implored voters to choose ‘yes’ on Amendment 4 to end the six-week ban on abortion. At least 60% of voters were required to vote yes to approve the measure. Despite Florida voters being bombarded by national and state campaigns promoting abortion rights, only 57% voted in favor. 

They also introduced Amendment 3 on the ballot to legalize recreational marijuana use in the Sunshine State. The measure failed to garner 60% of the votes, with only 55% approving it. 

However, GOP-sponsored extended hunting and fishing rights Amendment 2 and Amendment 5, lowering taxes for homeowners, passed with 67% and 66% of votes, respectively.   

Like their national counterparts, Florida Democrats have their priorities wrong. They chose to focus on non-issues, such as abortion and recreational marijuana, while Republicans focused on issues of economic importance, such as taxes.

“With polls now closed in Florida — Amendment 3 has failed. Amendment 4 has failed,” Gov. Ron DeSantis mocked the Democrats.

Meanwhile, Rep. Valdes’ long political career as a Florida Democrat demonstrates her perceptiveness to her people’s needs. Additionally, her shift to the Republican Party demonstrates that she respects her people’s voices in a deeply reddening Florida.