Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
Ed. Note — Florida politics never sleeps.
With the 2024 Presidential Election bleeding into the early morning of Nov. 6, the Florida Politics team burned the midnight oil to bring you the best, most comprehensive Sunburn Election Night wrap-up.
And we were ready for our 4 a.m. deadline — with only 13 minutes to spare.
Sunburn will take Thursday morning off so our editors can take a well-deserved post-election nap.
Never fear; the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics will return early Friday. Thanks for your support, and please stay safe!
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First Shot
Republicans won big Tuesday, not just in Florida but nationwide.
Every swing state that has been called went for President-elect Donald Trump and he’s leading in the three that haven’t — his victory also marks the first time in 20 years that a Republican presidential nominee won the popular vote.
When he’s sworn in, the GOP will likely control all levers of government. Republicans have already secured a majority in the Senate, and while control of the House is still undecided, it’s leaning red.
And at the state level, voters rejected recreational marijuana and expanded access to abortion while expanding the Republican stranglehold on the state Legislature.
Next Session, 86 Republicans will be in the House — one more than were elected in 2022, when the party achieved a supermajority. Meanwhile, Sen. Corey Simon’s win in Tallahassee’s Senate District 3 preserved the supermajority in the upper chamber.
The Florida results were mirrored elsewhere, including with a flip of the state House in Michigan, leading the Republican State Leadership Committee to take a victory lap.
“Despite facing an unprecedented influx of liberal spending from outside groups, state Republicans showed the strength of our efforts and commitment to conservative values,” said RSLC Chairman Steve Crisafulli, a former Florida House Speaker.
“These victories prove that, even when outspent, our focus on the winning issues that matter to Americans resonates. Moving forward, we are ready to build on this momentum and push back against the Democrats’ failed policies with an even stronger foundation.”
Evening Reads
—“How counties are shifting in the 2024 Presidential Election” via Kevin Schaul and Kati Perry of The Washington Post
—”Donald Trump’s America’: Comeback victory signals a different kind of country” via Peter Baker of The New York Times
—”How Trump won the presidency” via G. Elliott Morris of FiveThirtyEight
—”What Trump understood, and Kamala Harris did not” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic
—”The story of Trump’s win was foretold in New York City” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—”The 24 must-see lines from Trump’s victory speech” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”Trump ran a campaign for men. It worked.” via Marin Cogan of Vox
—”Why Harris lost — and why it wasn’t close.” via Andrew Perez of Rolling Stone
—”Harris’s loss triggers soul-searching, recriminations within Democratic Party” via Ken Thomas and Annie Linskey of The Wall Street Journal
—”More power than ever: GOP wins big in the Florida Legislature” via Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix
Quote of the Day
“We know that this is not over for a second, not for a minute, not for an hour. We woke up, and we started organizing.”
— Voices of Florida Executive Director Sarah Parker on the failure of Amendment 4.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Orange juice simply isn’t the right color. Our suggestion for Florida’s new official drink: A Cherry Red.
Majorities supported recreational pot and abortion rights, but neither managed to cross the 60% threshold. It won’t make it sting any less, but the teams behind both amendments could use a Tipsy Pig.
Order Monique Worrell a Comeback for retaking her old job as Orange-Osceola State Attorney. If Donald Trump drank, he’d get the same thing.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Heat in the desert
The Miami Heat begin a six-game, 11-day road trip tonight as they face the Phoenix Suns (9 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network-Sun).
Miami (3-3) is coming off a one-point home loss to the Sacramento Kings. On Monday, the Heat saw Domantas Sabonis score with 0.7 seconds left to complete a Kings’ rally from 15 points down. The road trip, one of two six-game treks on the schedule this season, could be a welcome change for a team that has lost three of four games in Miami this season.
Despite the struggles at home, the Heat still lead the Southeast Division by a game over the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards and by a game and a half over the Charlotte Hornets.
So far this season, Tyler Herro has provided the offensive punch for Miami. The guard averages 21.8 points per game while making 44.2% of his three-point attempts. The team’s forward Jimmy Butler is second, averaging 18.7 points per game.
The Suns (6-1) are tied for the Pacific Division lead with Golden State. Only unbeaten Oklahoma City holds a better record in the Western Conference through seven games. Phoenix has won five straight, including surviving a two-point game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
Forward Kevin Durant leads the Suns, averaging 27.1 points per game, with guard Devin Booker adding 24.7 points per contest.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
