TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Republicans are honing their messaging for the 2022 election cycle and have launched a new ad describing themselves as a ‘Freedom Firewall.’
Heading into the election, House Republican Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Paul Renner, who represents parts of St. Johns and Putnam counties, said the party will be playing offense.
The new video features a handful of Republican State Representatives.
“Crazy liberal ideas, they don’t fly here,” said State Representative Josie Tomkow in the video.
Renner said the party wants to remind Flordianians that elections have consequences.
“What we have today in Florida is different than what you have in a state like California because of the choices that Floridians have made,” said Renner.
In the video, Republicans say they are pro-police and anti-riot and say they want election security.
Democrats however have a very different way of characterizing Republicans’ actions on those issues.
“They basically have to use the power that they have in Tallahassee to actually roll back freedoms. This was a priority for them. Whether it was the voter suppression bill that they passed or the anti-protest bill that they passed,” said Jose Parra, Senior Communications Adviser with the Florida Democratic Party.
Republicans and Democrats can’t target specific seats yet because all the boundaries will change when lawmakers draw new maps early next year.
Parra said Democrats will be watching the redistricting process with the ‘eyes of a hawk.’
“We need defined concrete districts that represent the people of Florida, not districts that are drawn just to benefit the Republican Party of the state,” said Parra.
When state lawmakers return on Jan. 11 for the 2022 legislative session, the process of redistricting will begin.
Once that’s complete they’ll have a better idea of where their strengths and vulnerabilities lie.
In 2020 Florida Republicans managed to pick up an additional seat in the Senate and seven in the House.
Currently, Republicans hold a 78-42 majority in the House and a 24-16 majority in the Senate.