Republicans and Democrats are bracing for a close finish in Florida’s gubernatorial race as the polls close Tuesday evening.
Former Democratic state lawmaker Dick Batchelor said he thinks Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has a message that has resonated with unaffiliated voters.
“I think when all is said and done, the Republicans are going to look back and say, we made a mistake by not nominating Adam Putnam," said Batchelor. "But DeSantis getting in the primary, with Trump’s support, he moved so far to the right, and traditionally you need to try to move back somewhere nearer the middle, to appeal to those voters in the middle. I don’t think DeSantis has been able to do that.”
President Donald Trump spent the final days before the election campaigning for GOP candidates across the country.
Republican political analyst Michelle Ertel said the president's rhetoric could be firing up voters on both sides of the aisle.
“Trump has been saying ‘Jobs not mobs’, and that’s motivated the Democrats, but it’s also motivated Republicans, who I think will just quietly go out and vote today without any bumper stickers, without t-shirts, and I think the DeSantis campaign will eke it out tonight,” Ertel said.
For some voters, the midterm election is about personalities and voting for a specific candidate, but others are focused on policy.
90.7’s Emily Lang talked to voters at Englewood Community Center in Orlando Tuesday morning.
“So, one young man I spoke to, he’s 27, and for him, you know he’s tired of what’s going on, and specifically what he meant was affordable housing in Central Florida," Lang said. "He can’t find a place to live that’s affordable. It’s hard to save up money for a down payment, so that’s what was driving him to the polls this morning.”
She said one of the other issues voters were discussing was education.