SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County went blue for a president for the first time since 1948, however, a majority of local races in the county stayed red.
What You Need To Know
- A majority of Seminole County voted for a Democratic president for the first time since 1948
- County races, though, were overwhelmingly decided for Republican candidates
- Of the 14 races in Seminole County, 11 went to Republicans
According to Florida Exit Polls, the top two issues for Florida voters were the economy and the coronavirus pandemic. The issues have gone hand in hand as local businesses work to recover from pandemic-related closures.
Tom Morris is a life-long registered Democrat who owns the Manikin Lounge in downtown Sanford. His is an industry that has been put on ice multiple times since March.
“Closed down again,” Morris said of the months since March. “Closed down again. It has really been frustrating.”
When it comes to the future of his business, he felt going red this election would help him see green.
“I felt like we are in the middle of too much to change anything,” Morris said. “We need to stay the course until there is a vaccine that will get distributed.”
University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett says some Democratic voters had to make a business decision when making a political one.
“Perhaps they were concerned if Democrats were to take control of county government that would lead to shutdowns,” Jewett said. “If a bigger shutdown were to happen, it's a fear they would lose their businesses, livelihoods, or their checks.”
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy who recently won re-election, represents Orange and Seminole counties. She believes science should help in decision making.
“Really we should be looking towards health officials as far as our guidance for how we can safely re-open,” she said.
It is a sentiment she feels Gov. Ron DeSantis ignores.
“His approach has been to have things wide open, people getting sick be damned,” Murphy said.
Morris said that for people like him, another shutdown could be the last for his business.
“If people aren’t coming here the bartenders aren’t making any money,” Morris said. “I’m not making any money and I can’t pay my bills.”
And that’s the only type of red, Morris doesn’t want to see right now.
Of the 14 races in Seminole County, Republicans won 11 of them.
It should also be noted that right now Seminole County has about 1,500 more registered republicans than registered democrats. The county has about 95,000 registered NPA’s.
