Jacob Ogles
Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power took over the state party in January after a period of unquestionable disarray. But in November, the party enjoyed its strongest election performance since 1988.
As he seeks election to a full two-year term, the Tallahassee Republican has yet to draw serious opposition to continue as Chair. But he doesn’t plan to take it easy before a new election on Jan. 11. Power promises continued growth and outreach at the state level.
“I think the Republican Party story in Florida has just started,” Power said.
The GOP in November not only helped deliver Florida’s electoral votes to Donald Trump for a third straight election, but retained a supermajority in the Florida Senate and expanded one in the Florida House.
In fact, the party saw continued legislative success after election season ended. State Rep. Susan Valdés announced earlier this week she would change her voter registration from Democrat to Republican and caucus with the GOP in the next legislative term.
“What you are hearing from a number of people in the Democratic Party at large is a frustration with the message Democrats are engaged in,” Power said. “The Democratic Party’s issues do not matter to Florida voters, and it is making it hard for them to be Democrats. The party is not saying anything about the economy and immigration, and instead is forcing women to have men compete in sports, forcing gender ideology in classrooms, and that is not what traditional Democrats cared about.”
But more than just riding to easy successes, Power said he wants the party to increasingly train volunteers and utilize strong get-out-the-vote techniques.
“Our job is to help elect every Republican possible,” he said.
Because of term limits, Florida will head into the 2026 election cycle with no incumbent running for Governor or for Attorney General. With U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio expected to become Secretary of State and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis running for Congress, that means two more statewide officials will be appointees facing their first statewide election. It’s possible Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson also runs for another office, which would mean no elected incumbents will appear on the ballot in 2026.
Power said if the party continues to grow a voter registration advantage and recruit good candidates, the party has a chance to see a complete turnover in statewide offices but keep every seat in Republican control for the first time in state history.
Running the state party is something Power wanted to do years before he took over operations in January. He ran against Christian Ziegler for Chair and narrowly lost in 2022. But Power stepped into the role after a sex scandal resulted in Ziegler’s ouster earlier this year. While filling a vacuum, Power took over after campaigning statewide for support from county party Chairs and Committeemen and Committeewomen across Florida.
But he still faced a difficult time taking over as Chair from Ziegler, whose scandal froze the party’s fundraising ability for months.
“A lot of infrastructure for the party had gone to waste,” he said. “We had to rebuild the party from the ground up again.”
He brought on former Executive Director George Riley, but personal problems soon led to his exodus as well. Quickly, close Power ally Bill Helmich took over as Executive Director and has remained since.
Power has also tried to get county parties across Florida into shape, including suspending county executive committee members to stop infighting.
“Some county parties have lost focus on what a county party should be doing,” he said. “We have had to instill that with training and discipline. By and large, with a few exemptions, counties are now thriving and willing to put in the resources needed. There is some pushback. Some think the political party is a debating institution and it’s not.”
He has pushed parties to focus on voter registration efforts and door-knocking operations, and intends to step up that focus next year.
Power sometimes draws criticism for his day job as a lobbyist in Tallahassee, but he suggested that work provides more benefit than liability. He has relationships with Republican lawmakers and other officeholders. Moreover, his geographic location means he has a greater level of access to office staff than most of his predecessors.
“I’m the first Chairman in 10 years who goes in and works within the building and interacts with staff every day,” he said. “The proof that is a benefit is that we have raised millions for the party.”
