This month, Florida Democrats won a majority of seats contested on election night and saw lower turnout for Republicans and Donald Trump statewide.
The Florida Democratic Party directly supported seven candidates through the Take Back Local efforts — and four of those seven candidates won their elections in competitive local races.
“Last night’s municipal election wins are another huge step in our plan to take back Florida,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried after the March elections. “Without a presidential primary, we won 60% of contested local elections and saw lower turnout for Donald Trump than in 2020 — showing promising trends for the general elections in November.”
The Florida Democratic Party specifically congratulated Andy Thomson, Yvette Drucker, George Oliver III, and Maria Rodriguez for their hard-fought victories. Democrats said they are building the grassroots infrastructure needed to organize year-round, and the election results indicate that. The FDP said they plan to take every opportunity to show Florida the difference between failed Republican policies and a fresh, Democratic vision.
“FDP volunteers knocked on thousands of doors and spoke to tens of thousands of voters ahead of the March elections, and that hard work paid off — we flipped and defended many more seats across Florida,” the Democratic Party Chair said. “With the results from last night and the trends that we’ve been seeing since 2022, we’re confident that Florida is in play.”
To celebrate the victories and talk strategy, the Florida Democratic Party hosted a press call with FDP Chair Nikki Fried, Orange County DEC Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Boca Raton Councilwoman Yvette Drucker and Pembroke Pines Commissioner-elect Maria Rodriguez.
Central Florida will once again be a battleground and Orlando Democrats see opportunity to gain votes.
“We are creating a pro-democracy coalition that includes Democrats, independents, and obviously moderate Republicans,” said Orange County DEC Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago. “One out of every four Orange County Republicans voters in the election yesterday did not vote for Donald Trump, and we’re going to use that to our advantage.”
List of Democratic winners in March elections:
* represents incumbent Democrats
April Thanos, Gulfport Ward 1*
Megan Zemaitis, Kenneth City Mayor
Steve Graber, Oldsmar Seat 1*
Andrew Knapp, Oldsmar Seat 3*
Tim Caddell, Pinellas Park Seat 4*
Nancy Besore, Safety Harbor Seat 1*
Joaquin Almazan, Belle Glade Seat C*
Michael Hensley, Lake Park Town Commission
Sarah Malega, Lake Worth Beach District 1*
Fred Pinto, Royal Palm Beach Mayor*
Christina D’Elosua Lambert, West Palm Beach City Commission District 5*
Yvette Drucker, Boca Raton City Council Seat D*
Andy Thomson, Boca Raton City Council Seat C
Julie Casale, Delray Beach City Commission Seat 3
John Tharpe, Greenacres City Commission District 1*
Paula Bousquest, Greenacres City Commission District 5*
Karen Lythgoe, Lantana Mayor*
KaShamba Miller-Anderson, Riviera Beach City Commission District 2
Jay Schwartz, Pembroke Pines District 2*
Maria Rodriguez, Pembroke Pines District 3
Angelo Castillo, Pembroke Pines Mayor
Tarus Mack, Eatonville City Commission Seat 4
Wanda Randolph, Eatonville City Commission Seat 5
George Oliver, Ocoee District 4
Sheila DeCiccio, Winter Park Mayor
Tina Paul, Surfside City Commission*
Gerardo Vildostegui, Surfside City Commission
Advancing to Runoff:
Betty Resch, Lake Worth Beach Mayor*
Andy Amoroso, Lake Worth Beach Mayor
Shelby Lariz Albright, Wellington City Council Seat 4
Everett McPherson, Pahokee City Council Seat 5
Ron Mueller, Winter Garden District 2*
Jason Johnson, Winter Park District 2
Craig Russell, Winter Park District 2
“It’s always great when you put your hat in the race and you try to run for office. It’s not an easy thing,” said Yvette Drucker, Boca Raton City Council Seat C. “Winning by an enormous margin goes to show you that people are voting more — especially in the municipal elections.”
“I am so honored to be one of the first people to test out the Take Back Local program, because the Florida Democratic Party did a truly amazing job in supporting us and just walking us through what we could do with their support and their help,” said Maria Rodriguez, Pembroke Pines City Commission, District 3.
