DeSantis Calls Florida Republicans Last National Stronghold

Florida has emerged as one of the Republican Party's remaining strongholds after Democrats secured major victories across the United States in the 2026 midterm elections. Governor Ron DeSantis said the results exposed serious weaknesses in Republican political support, particularly following sweeping defeats in Texas and other traditionally conservative states.

Republicans retained Florida's governorship, a US Senate seat and every statewide elected office. However, according to The New York Times, Democrats made substantial gains in the state legislature, flipped Miami-Dade County and maintained their existing eight seats in Florida's 28-member congressional delegation.

Democrats gained at least 15 seats in the Florida Legislature, ending Republican supermajorities. The party also narrowly retained statewide victories despite substantial advantages in fundraising and voter registration.

DeSantis described the national Republican losses as a serious threat to the party's future political influence.

"This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country," DeSantis said.

The governor also warned that Republican losses could leave the party struggling to maintain political relevance nationally. He pointed to Texas, previously considered a major Republican stronghold, as a particularly damaging setback.

"If the Republican Party doesn't have Texas as an anchor, then we are not going to be viable nationally going forward," DeSantis said.

He characterized the election outcome as one of the worst possible scenarios for Republicans ahead of the next congressional session.

"This is probably the political worst-case scenario for a midterm election," DeSantis said.

DeSantis estimated that Democrats could enter January controlling 56 Senate seats and as many as 258 House seats. These figures represented his projections rather than certified final election results.

He also identified Florida's position within the Republican Party as increasingly important following the losses elsewhere.

"Florida is the last main anchor standing," DeSantis said.

Speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, DeSantis argued that dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans contributed significantly to the election outcome.

"This midterm, no question, was a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, independents and some Republicans that crossed over," DeSantis said.

He added that frustration among Republican voters also contributed to lower turnout because lawmakers had failed to fulfill campaign commitments.

"But a lot of our voters who stayed home, they stayed home because they were frustrated with the lack of productivity from Republicans in the House and Senate," DeSantis said.

Economic concerns were another major factor. According to CBS News exit polling cited by The Hill, 75 percent of voters described the condition of the US economy as not good.

DeSantis identified mortgage rates, gasoline prices and grocery expenses as major sources of public frustration. He also acknowledged concerns about federal immigration enforcement operations while defending the broader policy.

"It's not about necessarily creating conflict on the streets," DeSantis said.

The governor also criticized congressional Republicans over government transparency and financial accountability.

"That's a bad vote," DeSantis said, referring to lawmakers who opposed releasing records related to Jeffrey Epstein.

He separately criticized members of Congress who trade stocks while serving on committees overseeing industries connected to their investments.

On technology policy, DeSantis raised concerns about automated license plate readers, including Flock cameras, and the collection of personal movement data by private companies.

"They're harvesting data about who's going through, they're giving it to private companies, they can create dossiers, they can sell the data," DeSantis said.

He called for stronger privacy protections, renewed efforts toward an artificial intelligence bill of rights and greater scrutiny of large data center developments in rural communities.

DeSantis also outlined plans to implement Florida's newly approved Amendment 3, which provides homestead property tax relief while excluding school district taxes. He proposed safeguards against local governments replacing reduced property tax revenue with higher fees.

"It's not going to be a tax shift. It's going to be a reduction," DeSantis said.

He proposed a taxpayer bill of rights and state grants to help local governments, particularly rural counties, maintain essential services. He also wants lawmakers to arrange a special legislative session to implement the amendment by January 1.

DeSantis declined to position himself as the person who could rescue the Republican Party from its electoral difficulties.

"There's no saviors in politics," DeSantis said.

He added that elected officials should prioritize public service rather than personal political ambitions.

"Elected officials are supposed to be servants," DeSantis said.

Meanwhile, Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn acknowledged serious weaknesses in his party's election strategy in an opinion article titled "Republicans Forgot How to Win Elections."

Cornyn identified four major problems: limited appeal to a broad electorate, candidate popularity, failure to deliver campaign promises and questions surrounding political integrity.

"This week's beat-down wasn't only foreseeable, it was foreseen," Cornyn wrote.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz also acknowledged the scale of the Democratic victories in his state, where Democratic candidates James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa won the Senate and gubernatorial races, respectively.

Cruz warned that the election results would leave Texans facing significant political consequences.

"Texas is blue. That is a hard sentence to utter," Cruz wrote on social media.

He further described the Republican Party's weakened position across Texas following the election.

"As we sit here today, I am the only statewide elected Republican who remains in Texas. That's not something I ever thought I would say," Cruz wrote.

Despite Florida Republicans retaining control of major statewide offices, the Democratic gains in legislative races and Miami-Dade County demonstrated the narrower margins separating the parties in the state.