National GOP group lists defending legislative majorities in Florida as a priority

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) says its top priority in 2022 will be defending legislative majorities. That includes protecting GOP majorities in the Florida House and Senate.

But at a time when Democratic President Joe Biden continues to poll poorly, the national group sees opportunities to gain ground in statehouses.

“We may have started the cycle exclusively trying to defend our razor-thin majorities, but the failures of President Biden and his Democrat allies in the states have created opportunities for us to go on offense in places we never could have imagined,” said RSLC President Dee Duncan.

“Democrats across the country will be held accountable for standing by Joe Biden and the disastrous policies that have given us the highest inflation in 40 years, record gas prices, raging crime, and learning loss for an entire generation of kids.”

A memo published today by the RSLC lists Florida among nine priority states to defend in 2022.

“Republicans currently hold 55 of the 88 state legislative chambers on the ballot this year, and 62 of the 99 overall across the country. Keeping these states in Republican hands this year is our top objective and will not be an easy task,” the memo states.

The top three priority states will be Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania, states that Biden narrowly won in 2020 and where Republicans hold a combined 24-seat lead over Democrats.

Florida falls in a list of six other states, along with Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.

“The remaining six defensive states on our target list all have chambers that national liberals spent a combined nearly $50 million failing to flip in 2020 and we don’t expect them to just pack it in after one unsuccessful effort,” the memo states.

At the same time, Florida didn’t make the cut to be mentioned in a digital ad released by the RSLC today. The ad spotlights a strong 2021 performance in Virginia, where the GOP won the statehouse and Governor’s mansion, and New Jersey, where a gubernatorial race was closer than expected.

The organization sees an opportunity to flip Colorado and Minnesota statehouses from Democratic to Republican control, and both those states were mentioned in the ad. The three priority defense states were also mentioned, as was Maine, which the group lists as a “liberal stronghold” with “possibilities for meaningful gains.”

The memo notes it is more expensive to run in states at the same time that both a Senate and Governor’s race unfold, a description that covered Florida in 2022.

“Democrats know that state legislatures are the final puzzle pieces needed to spread Biden’s failed agenda to every corner of our nation. It is our job to stop them,” the memo closes.

“With liberal elites again lining up to bankroll Democrats, the battles ahead of us will be far from easy. This year’s election presents a unique crossroads for state Republicans. We can go backwards and hand our state capitols over to Joe Biden and the radical left, or we can hold our ground, fight for more, and have our most successful election cycle since 2013-2014. We are grateful for your partnership and support in the fight to stop socialism in the states.”