The Pendulum Crashes Through The Wall Like The Kool-Aid Man: Floridians Join National Blue-Nami, Reshape State’s Political Landscape
Voters rebuffed Trump-fueled congressional gerrymanders, shattered the conservative supermajorities in the legislature, dealt Republicans their smallest state House majority since they took control in 1996, and came inches from stunning statewide victories despite candidates being massively outspent
Florida will now have its largest caucus of openly LGBTQ state legislators in history
Moms for Liberty’s influence on education policy has collapsed
Quinnie Perez makes history as the state’s first openly transgender elected official
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Florida voters delivered an earthquake last night that will reshape politics in the state and made an undeniable declaration: Florida is a swing state once more and the time to invest is now.
Joining the pro-equality, pro-democracy tsunami that swept the nation, Floridians defeated all efforts to gerrymander multiple congressional districts, crushed the years-long conservative supermajorities in the legislature, gave Republicans their smallest state House majority since they took control in 1996, flipped 18 state legislative seats, and came close to shocking Republicans in statewide races despite pro-equality candidates being outspent and largely written off by national groups. Notably, the organizing prowess of Equality Florida Action Inc.-endorsed Angie Nixon, a progressive Black woman who refused to abandon LGBTQ people in her race for the U.S. Senate, juiced turnout and sparked hope in voters across the state.
“Florida’s far right era of chaos and division has been repudiated,” said Equality Florida Executive Director Stratton Pollitzer. “Voters sent a message that a new chapter must be written in our state, one that treats everyone with the dignity they deserve, lets everyone thrive, and makes life better for people instead of tearing others down. The strategy of attacking and demonizing transgender people to score political points should now be declared dead, as it backfired so spectacularly. It is no accident that the power of last night’s victories lives in diverse candidates, more of whom were openly LGBTQ than ever before, who caught organizing fire and reignited Florida’s status as the nation’s largest swing state. Representation matters and Florida just demanded seats at the table for the people who know their lives and care about their struggles. We are proud that Equality Florida and its supporters have built a machine to turn these waves into a political sea change. Make no mistake: As Florida goes in 2028, so goes the nation once more. The time to invest in this wave sweeping the state is now.”
Equality Florida Action PAC and Equality Florida Action Inc. invested more than a million dollars in key races across the state. Those efforts included:
- Hundreds of volunteers across the state joining 124 Days of Action where they knocked doors or called voters
- Knocking more than 12,500 doors knocked, placing more than 93,000 calls to voters, sending more than 350,000 texts and delivering over 800,000 pieces of mail
- A digital program with 46 ads, generating over 2.3 million impressions
- Directly contributing and raising over $540,000 for pro-equality candidates
See full lists of endorsed candidates here.
DEFYING THE DUMMYMANDER
At the behest of Donald Trump, Governor Ron DeSantis rammed a mid-decade gerrymander through the state legislature in an attempt to guarantee Republicans a U.S. House majority. Those efforts backfired spectacularly. Floridians rebuffed the gerrymanders, sending Equality Florida Action Inc.-endorsed Democrats to Congress in each seat. That includes re-electing Congressman Darren Soto, despite him being forced to run in a district that Trump carried by 18 points just two years ago.
SHATTERING THE CONSERVATIVE SUPERMAJORITIES
Last night, voters crushed conservative supermajorities in the state legislature that have spent years making Florida the epicenter of far right attacks on LGBTQ people, reproductive health, immigrant communities, Black history, inclusive education, voting rights, and more. In all, Democratic candidates flipped 18 state legislative seats, the largest number of flips by a party in over 60 years. Among those seats, Equality Florida Action PAC identified and endorsed in 14 key races in the Break the Supermajority program, delivering wins in each one. Conservatives will now have their smallest state House majority since taking control in 1996.
The shift in power dynamics in Tallahassee will drive major changes in what issues are prioritized, which bills are provided hearings, the makeup of committees, and will force lawmakers to reckon with a Florida voting population that is demanding an end to far right, culture war politics.
EXPANDING THE LGBTQ CAUCUS, DEFEATING ANTI-LGBTQ ANTAGONISTS & ELECTING THE STATE’S FIRST OPENLY TRANSGENDER ELECTED OFFICIAL
In an absolute repudiation of the DeSantis era of anti-gay and anti-trans attacks, Florida now has a record eight openly LGBTQ legislators, with half of them winning red-to-blue flip districts. Representation is power, and out candidates capturing the districts where they have been targeted and used as political pawns marks a sea change in the state’s politics. This is Florida’s largest LGBTQ legislative caucus ever, powered by incredible candidates whose stories reflect the vibrant diversity of the state itself. The openly LGBTQ, pro-equality champions who won last night are: Dr. Jane Aman, Todd Delmay, Dan McDow, Luis Salazar, Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, and Samuel Vilchez Santiago. They will join Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith and Representative Mitch Rosenwald in the Capitol.
“A larger-than-ever contingent of openly-LGBTQ lawmakers means better policy, fiercer advocacy, and voices that have too long been sidelined or demonized are now squarely in the conversation,” added Pollitzer. “And further proof that the pendulum has officially swung was the defeat of many candidates seen as our community’s biggest villains. Doug Bankson, sponsor of the Trans Erasure Bill and a book-banning expansion bill, was fired.
Rachel Plakon, sponsor of the anti-transgender bathroom bill, was fired.
Scandal-plagued Fabian Basabe, who voted in favor of every anti-LGBTQ bill while bemoaning the LGBTQ’s community refusal to support him, was fired. LGBTQ candidates are rising while those who have taken aim at our community are packing their bags.”
In addition to huge victories in state legislative races, Central Floridians elected Quinnie Perez to the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District board, making her the state’s first openly transgender elected official in history. Equality Florida Action PAC was proud to both endorse Quinnie and do multiple Days of Action to support her, turning out pro-equality voters in her race. Her victory is a rebuke of the yearslong effort to terrorize transgender people out of public life entirely by the DeSantis Administration and its enablers.
FIRING MOMS FOR LIBERTY
Floridians have made their disgust with Moms for Liberty extremism clear. In 2026, Moms for Liberty endorsed 15 candidates for school board in 6 counties (Bay, Clay, Brevard, Lee, St. Lucie and Collier), losing 53% of their priority races. Equality Florida Action PAC endorsed 33 candidates across 18 counties, winning 70% of our races. In all, we flipped 5 school boards to a pro-equality majority.
Most notably, the Sarasota school board, ground zero for Moms for Liberty attacks on public education, flipped. And not only did the Pinellas and Manatee school boards flip to pro-equality majorities, but an additional 5 Moms for Liberty members lost after failing to run away from the organization’s toxic brand in Brevard, Lee, and Volusia counties.
DESPITE REPEATED WARNINGS, THE RIGHT WING DOUBLED DOWN ON FAILING ANTI-TRANS ATTACKS – AND PAID THE PRICE
Even as polls made clear that Floridians, like voters around the country, were exhausted by divisive politics and most concerned about rampant government corruption and soaring costs, the far right doubled down on failing anti-trans attack campaigns. Over the last two years, the anti-equality machine has spent more than $400 million on anti-trans ads across the country. Just this cycle, candidates dumped tens of millions into those same tired ads in Florida. But voters saw through them and sent anti-equality campaigns one devastating blow after another. In fact, even Governor Ron DeSantis lamented today that the anti-trans ad obsession was a part of the GOP’s demise.
Floridians have said, “Enough is enough.” The anti-trans smear campaigns are a failure and have done nothing but tear our communities apart. Voters want leaders with a vision to make life better for people and public servants who will do the work, not divide us.
FLORIDA IS BACK – AND THE TIME TO INVEST IS NOW
What happens next in Florida is just as important as what happened at the ballot box last night. Pro-equality statewide candidates came within inches of delivering a stunning blow to the MAGA movement at ground zero despite being massively outspent and largely written off by the national power brokers. Voters sent shockwaves through the state and local political machinery. And the pieces are in place for Florida’s return as the nation’s most important swing state.
But, just as has been built in Texas and Georgia over multiple cycles, that trajectory will require financial investment and infrastructure. Last night, Florida sent a message to the country: The pendulum has swung. Despite our far right political future being declared intractable, we are back. And the time to invest in the next chapter is now.
“Today, we celebrate the people who showed up, organized, knocked on doors, made calls, and refused to give up on this state. But our work is just getting started. We have to decide what kind of Florida we want to be now – and where we want to take this country. Ours is a vision of a future that is more free, more equal for everyone. And that’s the future Equality Florida was made to build. The time to roll up our sleeves has come,” said Pollitzer.
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Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Through education, grassroots organizing, coalition building, and lobbying, we are changing Florida so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
