Big winners in the Florida primary? Generation X

It’s official. Generation X will take over the Governor’s Mansion and Florida Cabinet this November.

With party primaries over and the party nominees selected for every statewide office, it became more evident than ever a new generation of leaders had arrived in Florida. Outside the federal U.S. Senate contest, every major party candidate for statewide office in 2016 qualified as a Gen Xer, defined by Pew Research Center as anyone born from 1965 to 1980, if not slightly younger.

Both candidates for governor — Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum — won their statewide primaries before turning 40. This in a state that’s never elected a governor born before 1956.

Some voters noticed immediately.

Additionally, Gen Xers dominate the Cabinet races as well.

In the Attorney General race, Democrat Sean Shaw, 40, faces Republican Ashley Moody, 43. In the race for Chief Financial Officer, 46-year-old incumbent Republican Jimmy Patronis, 46, will battle Jeremy Ring, at 48 the oldest Cabinet candidate.

And in the contest for Agriculture Commissioner, Democrat Nikki Fried, 40, competes with Republican Matt Caldwell, who — at 37 years old — actually is considered an older Millennial.

“This was definitely a passing of the generational torch,” said Dr. Susan MacManus, a retired University of South Florida professor and political analyst.

Of course, there’s been a significant effort to get more younger people in Florida registered to vote, notably with the progressive March For Our Lives movement launched in the wake of the Parkland high school shooting in February.

A TargetSmart analysis in July showed Florida saw an 8-percent boost in Florida among voters age 18-29, the sixth highest gain in that demographic of any state in the union. All this could mean greater voter preference for younger candidates.

Still, Florida has one of the oldest populations in the country. The most recent American Community Survey data shows Florida has the fifth highest median age in the country, 42.1, according to Time magazine.

And historically, younger voters as a group don’t produce the same turnout levels as older voters, as documented by the United States Election Project, with the difference acuter during midterm years.

But that’s changing, MacManus said, and politicians would be wise to take notice, even in the Sunshine State.

“There’s still this antiquated notion of Florida being a senior citizen state when it comes to voting,” she says. “It’s not as true of those who turned out to vote as it used to be.”

That may explain Gillum’s surprise victory Tuesday in the Democratic primary for governor over Gwen Graham, a 55-year-old former congresswoman, and Philip Levine, a 56-year-old former Miami mayor.

Younger voters tend to gravitate toward more progressive political values, and as a group, tends to be more racially diverse than older generations of voters.

On the Republican side, two Gen Xers fought it out for the nomination, with the younger DeSantis defeating 44-year-old Adam Putnam.

While an endorsement from President Donald Trump provides the clearest explanation, MacManus says DeSantis also tapped into sometimes ignored groups of voters.

As for the entire field of Cabinet candidates? That’s as much a result of Generation X finally reaching maturity and a level of financial success allowing more viable candidates to compete.

“It’s their turn, and they are at a position in their lives professionally and financially where they can make these runs for office,” MacManus says.