ORLANDO \u2014 Hundreds of Democrats from across Florida gathered in Orlando this weekend for the Florida Democratic Party\u2019s largest fundraiser of the year, as party leaders and candidates worked to energize supporters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.<\/p>\n
The annual event, themed \u201cComeback,\u201d reflects Democrats\u2019 hopes of reclaiming ground in a state that has shifted increasingly Republican in recent election cycles. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was among the featured speakers scheduled to address attendees.<\/p>\n
As Democrats look to build momentum, many candidates are centering their message on affordability and Florida\u2019s rising cost of living.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t afford to live in this state anymore. The price of housing has gone through the roof,\u201d said state Sen. Brian Nathan.<\/p>\n
Nathan pointed to his victory in a Hillsborough County special election earlier this year, where he flipped a district won by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re knocking on someone\u2019s door, in the last 10 years, has your life gotten better. If the answer\u2019s no, it\u2019s time for someone new,\u201d Nathan said.<\/p>\n
The Orlando gathering brought together Democratic candidates from across the state to meet with donors and volunteers and encourage voter turnout ahead of next year\u2019s elections.<\/p>\n
Historically, the president\u2019s party often loses congressional seats in midterm elections, and Florida Democrats hope that trend will work in their favor. But the party continues to face significant challenges, including a Republican voter registration advantage of about 1.5 million voters and congressional and legislative district maps that favor Republicans.<\/p>\n
David Jolly, a top Democratic candidate for governor and former Republican congressman, said Democrats can appeal to voters across the political spectrum.<\/p>\n
State Rep. Dotie Joseph, another Democratic candidate for governor, said the party should remain committed to its core values while working with others when possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m somebody who\u2019s not afraid to work across the aisle, but also not afraid to fight. There are times when we need to stand up and make sure our rights are protected,\u201d Joseph said.<\/p>\n
The fundraiser comes just weeks after the Florida Republican Party held its annual Sunshine Summit, one of the party\u2019s marquee political events.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO \u2014 Hundreds of Democrats from across Florida gathered in Orlando this weekend for the Florida Democratic Party\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-344758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}