Florida's swing state status

[ajc0918]

Is Florida only a swing state at the Presidential level?

Sure many Florida races are close, such as the 2010 Governor's race, but democrat's currently don't hold any statewide offices and Republicans hold super majorities in both state chambers.

In 2010, faced with party switchers(Crist) and like 3 party officials getting arrested the RPOF (Repub Party of Florida) still managed to win the AG off by 13 points, and the CFO and Agriculture Commissioner by 18 points.

Is the Florida Democrat's failures due to poor candidates/campaigning or is Florida just more Republican than everyone thinks?

[ajc0918]

Florida's largest cities aren't that Democratic compared to other large cities. In fact, Obama didn't get 70% in any of FL's largest cities.

Err, I mean large Urban areas.  See FL-17 for an example of what i mean--a district that isn't all that gerrymandered, that is one of the Safest for the Democrats in the entire country right next to 3 marginally republican ones (the Cuban ones)

Well they made it so FL-17 is like 82% minority.
Orlando is growing more democrat, Bush only lost it marginally but Obama won it by a good amount I believe.

As to large urban areas Pinellas County is a pretty good bellwether. It has conservative north and democratic (and black) south. It voted for Gore, Bush, and Obama.

[ajc0918]

Not to bring up a sore subject, but Florida also expunges the highest % of potential voters from the rolls due to even having the slightest nicks with the law.  This of course affects the Democrats more and is said to be as high as 9%, while many states are a fraction of a %.  I think the state's more Democratic if anything, but the GOP is just better organized and more brutal at vote suppression than in other states.

I agree the RPOF is more organized, has more funding, and more loyal super voters, but I've never heard of major voter suppression going on.