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Florida gained statehood in 1845, helping the Whig candidate Zachary Taylor get elected president in 1848 – the last general election not won by a Republican or Democratic candidate. Very much a southern state at the time, Florida seceded during the Civil War and did not participate in the 1864 election. Like most southern states, Florida voted almost exclusively Democratic from Reconstruction until the mid-20th century, before turning primarily Republican in 1952.
Florida’s population has exploded over the past 70 years and its electoral importance has grown with it, from eight electoral votes at the end of World War II to 29 during the 2010s. The state gained a 30th electoral vote after the 2020 Census, surpassing New York for third most in the country.
Influxes of Cubans, retirees, service workers to the theme park economy booming near Orlando and other groups resulted in a state much more diversified – both economically and politically – than many of its southern brethren. As a result, it went through a period where it was seen as the ultimate battleground state, its population a microcosm of the country as a whole. This reputation was enhanced by the closeness of the 2000 election, where it took a month of legal wrangling to decide the winner. More recently, however, the GOP has again been ascendant, winning most statewide races. Donald Trump won twice here; in 2020 it was the only battleground state where he expanded his winning margin from 2016 (1.2% to 3.3%).
State voted with the overall winning candidate
Colored bars represent electoral votes by party. Tap or hover to see names.
An empty column indicates the state did not participate in that election.
Data: MIT Election Data and Science Lab / Harvard Dataverse through 2018; 270toWin research. These are general election results for the years listed. Special elections, if any, are excluded.
There are three classes of Senators; one is up for election every second year. Each state has one Senator in two of the three classes.
Data: The Princeton Gerrymandering Project through 2018; 270toWin research. These are general election results for the years listed. Special elections, if any, are excluded.
Vertical lines before 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022 show Census-related redistricting breakpoints. Geographic borders associated with district numbers may have changed.
The state had an additional redistricting before 1996, and 2016. Same caution about borders applies.
Data: Wikipedia through 2018; 270toWin research. These are general election results for the years listed. Special elections, if any, are excluded.
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