Office of the Governor of Florida, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Joe Biden’s campaign is trying to expand the electoral map to give him more paths to victory.
Now, Democrats are making big decisions about their fall push.
And a Biden campaign official made one confession about Florida that left Democrats stunned.
Top Biden campaign official says Florida isn’t in play for Democrats
Florida was the biggest swing state in the country for decades at the Presidential level.
The winner of the state won the White House in six out of the last seven Presidential elections.
But Florida has undergone a shift to the Right beginning with the 2016 Election.
This year, the state could be out of play at the Presidential level.
Biden Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon appeared on a podcast with Puck Chief Political Columnist John Heilemann.
Dillon broke down the state of play for the election from the Biden campaign’s perspective.
She said that the campaign’s focus was on the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia.
Heilemann asked Dillion if the Biden campaign saw North Carolina as a swing state.
“Yes,” Dillon said.
“Florida?” Heilemann asked.
“No,” Dillon replied.
“Thank you,” Heilemann said. “I was afraid you were going to lie.”
“I think the job of the campaign is to keep as many battleground states in play for as long as possible, so we can navigate any flexibility in the race,” Dillon said. “If you look at 2020, Georgia and Arizona weren’t even in play at all at this point, and certainly were not traditional battleground states. So at the end of the day, all we have to do is get to 270, and the easiest path is certainly [by preserving] the blue wall, where there’s a lot of core-coalition strength for the President.”
Democrats have lost every federal race in North Carolina since former President Barack Obama’s narrow 2008 win in the state.
“But I am bullish on North Carolina, and I don’t f*** around in saying that — because I was bullish on Arizona [four years ago] and that’s because we looked at it very closely,” Dillon added.
Dillon’s blunt admission sent Democrats scrambling.
Biden-Harris battleground states Director Dan Kanninen quickly put out a statement claiming that Florida was still in play.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have trips to Florida in recent months focused on abortion.
Ron DeSantis takes a victory lap after Biden’s campaign waves the white flag
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has seen his state undergo a dramatic shift to the Right after taking office.
He’s predicted that the state won’t be competitive this year.
But the Biden campaign seemingly throwing in the towel on Florida caused him to take a victory lap on social media.
“For decades, Florida was the largest, most-important battleground state in presidential elections,” DeSantis wrote on X. “Today, even the Biden campaign acknowledges that those days are over. Florida is not in play in 2024.”
Money in political races talks.
Neither the Biden nor Trump campaigns are spending much money in Florida so far, a sign both sides don’t think it’s competitive.
Trump has led in every public poll out of the state since the fall.
And Florida’s days as the country’s largest swing state could be over.
Election Buzz will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
