The rallying cry from the state Democratic Party’s weekend gathering in Orlando: Florida is a comeback state.

Democrats hope to build on a string of victories — including flipping the state House district that includes Mar-a-Lago — after years of GOP dominance.

“I’m here to remind you that there is no such thing as a permanently red state,” keynote speaker Pete Buttigieg said Saturday at the Leadership Blue conference, held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

Buttigieg, the former U.S. Transportation Secretary under President Joe Biden, slammed Republicans as unfit to lead.

“You need healthcare? They give you a culture war. You need better infrastructure? They give you a boat parade,” he told the crowd of 1,000 elected officials and Democratic supporters. “The problem is they want to be put in charge of the government but they’re bad at government. That affects everyday life for us and for our families.”

Instead of helping Floridians with high property insurance and living costs, Republicans are gerrymandering voting maps, Buttigieg argued.

“The Republicans in charge here haven’t responded to policy failure by changing their policies. Instead, they’re trying to just change the rules,” he said.

Buttigieg took shots at Republicans running for Governor, including James Fishback, who has faced criticism for his remarks, and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Buttigieg described Fishback as “an unbelievably disturbing extremist” and Donalds as “ranked the second most far right-wing conservative in the entire U.S. House of Representatives.”

Buttigieg drew laughter when he turned to U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, whose ex-girlfriend was granted a restraining orderagainst him last year. “I’ll be old-fashioned, but I would argue that if you got a restraining order out against you,” you probably shouldn’t serve in Congress, Buttigieg quipped.

U.S. Rep. Randy Fine was not spared in Buttigieg’s roast.

“With the cost of living out of control, our nation at war, Rep. Fine committed his time in Washington to developing important legislation like the — I’m not making this up — Protecting Puppies from Sharia Law Act,” Buttigieg said.*

Buttigieg told reporters afterward he believes Florida is more competitive this cycle than national pundits realize.

“I see enormous opportunity for Democrats. I see us competing in places that would’ve been written off just a few months ago,” he said. “The fact that Mar-a-Lago is now represented by a Democratic legislator right here in Florida, the fact that Miami voted for a Democratic mayor for the first time in basically a generation shows you that different things are possible.”

The Florida Democratic Party has launched voter registration drives on 12 college campuses over the past 18 months and is targeting vote-by-mail growth as part of its grassroots push, Chair Nikki Fried said Saturday.

With songs like Tom Petty‘s “I Won’t Back Down” as a backdrop, Democratic leaders including U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frostrallied the crowd, insisting Democrats can take back control of Congress and end the Republican supermajority in Tallahassee.

“Florida Democrats, let’s be honest with ourselves. Many in this nation look at our state and they don’t really see us. They see what we’re up against. Today, many see a state not worth fighting for, but I’m not concerned with what they have to say. In fact, I don’t really give a damn,” said Frost, an Orlando Democrat. “Our message isn’t about Democrat versus Republican. It’s about the people versus the problem. Florida Democrats, the mission is simple. Take our message to every end of this state with an open hand and an open heart and we will win.”