Miami-Dade Democrats express optimism despite sharp decline in registered voters – NBC 6 South Florida

Democrats in Miami-Dade County have lost thousands of voters in recent years.

Figures from the county’s elections office show there were more than 635,000 registered Democrats in 2020, compared to about 512,000 today.

That’s a significant drop of about 123,000 registered Democrats.

Republicans are doing the opposite and increasing their numbers: There were about 435,000 registered Republicans in 2020, compared to about 450,000 today. That represents an increase of about 15,000 registered GOP voters.

Local Democrats hope that enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign will spread to their campaign teams.

“I supported our vice president,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Levine Cava, a staunch Democrat, is running for re-election and is expected to appear on the same ballot as Harris in November’s election.

The mayor hopes for a boost.

“I think the amount she raised in 24 hours, the number of participants and delegates who pledged to take part, all of this speaks to momentum and a historic victory,” she said.

Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell finds herself in a similar situation: she is fighting against incumbent Republican Rick Scott for one of Florida’s seats in the U.S. Senate.

“If there is a change at the top of the candidate list that increases the enthusiasm of young voters, that can clearly have a positive impact on my campaign,” Mucarsel-Powell said.

The Harris campaign is canvassing voters across the country, with a focus in part on young voters and black voters.

T. Willard Fair, president of the Urban League of Greater Miami, who is also popular in Republican circles in South Florida, warns against engaging in identity politics.

“Don’t vote based on color, vote based on your own self-interest, be selfish,” Fair said. “If Kamala can do it for us, then that’s fine, if Trump can do it for us, then that’s fine, but don’t let people divide us by saying we have to vote for someone because they’re black or they can’t vote for someone because they’re from a different party. We’re intelligent, we’ve proven we can do it on our own.”