Ron DeSantis is almost certainly right here. Florida is one of the only red states that did not see a wipeout for Republicans:
🚨 JUST NOW: Gov. Ron DeSantis says had he not put Amendment 3, phase out property taxes on the ballot this year, REPUBLICANS MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN WIPED OUT.
"This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country as we have seen probably in the… pic.twitter.com/Zn2yXEqZ6r
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 4, 2026
Why is that? Of course, one major reason is the incredible in-migration of GOP voters to Florida, which has resulted in Republicans radically reversing the registration gap in the state.
But the other reason is that Florida’s ballot initiative tied the state’s Republicans to an agenda related to affordability and cost of living. It was just enough to save some of them.