August 21, 2026

Florida Is the New Ground Zero for Both Political Parties’ Civil Wars

If Florida isn’t much in play between the two parties, it’s definitely in play within the two parties.

Florida, you might have heard, is no longer a swing state. Since Ron DeSantis became governor, Republicans have gained nearly 2 million registered voters on Democrats in the Sunshine State. It is an astonishing change in partisanship for the state that famously decided the 2000 presidential election by 537 votes.

The outcome of the statewide races in Florida this November, such as those for governor and U.S. senator, are therefore not in much doubt. Democrats might dream about making Florida competitive again, but they might as well believe in the tooth fairy.

But if Florida isn’t much in play between the two parties, it’s definitely in play within the two parties. As Tuesday’s primaries indicate, the Sunshine State is the new ground zero for the roiling internal civil wars that have dominated both parties for years.

On the Democratic side, Tuesday’s results were a mixed bag.

Centrist Democratic congressman Jared Moskowitz easily fended off a much-publicized challenge from a young Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate, and longtime establishment leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz also easily won her primary race after switching districts due to recent redistricting.

It was more interesting at the statewide level. David Jolly, the former Republican congressman, won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination after switching parties. In an election night interview on MS NOW, Jolly explicitly rejected the DSA. “I reject socialism,” he said. “I’m a capitalist.”

Um, have you noticed who you will be running alongside for statewide office, David?

That would be Angie Nixon, the obscure state representative who overcame a 16-to-1 fundraising disadvantage to defeat establishment pick Alex Vindman, the first-term anti-Trump “resistance” hero. Nixon, who was arrested earlier this year for trespassing and resisting an officer (she called it a “protest”), is a DSA member who peddles all the radical group’s favorite tropes.

Talk about a tense family dynamic for Florida Democrats.

And it’s not just Jolly. A triumphant Moskowitz told Politico after his primary victory that DSA members are “anti-American at their core” and shouldn’t get security clearances. In a twist on DeSantis’ catchphrase that “Florida is where woke goes to die,” Moskowitz boasted that “Florida is where DSA goes to die.”

Well, that’s awkward.

The famous prophecy from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series comes to mind: “Neither can live while the other survives.”

The Democratic Party civil war is unfolding in real time in Florida. And what a soap opera it already is. Will Jolly and Nixon campaign together? If so, what would that economic messaging look like? Will the pro-Israel Moskowitz and the rabidly anti-Israel Nixon continue to snipe at one another? Will Wasserman Schultz, the former Democratic National Committee chair, be forced to pick a side?

The stakes are highest for the DSA.

If Nixon loses in a landslide, and if the execrable Abdul El-Sayed goes down in flames in swingy Michigan, the DSA could be forced to retreat from the national scene to all but the bluest of blue areas. Many establishment Democrats are hoping for just that. The rumor mill here in Florida is buzzing with talk of moderate, pro-Israel Democratic bundlers raising money for Sen. Ashley Moody in her race against Nixon. The same dynamic is already playing out in Michigan.

Get your popcorn ready!

On the Republican side, the story from Tuesday was more straightforward.

Congressman Byron Donalds cruised to the gubernatorial nomination, as expected. And James Fishback, the hyper-online young investor running on an at-times overtly racist platform, finished a very distant third. The sordid Fishback was endorsed by Tucker Carlson and much of the antisemites of “Podcastistan,” but that didn’t amount to much when the votes were cast.

The internet, it turns out, really isn’t real life.

In Florida’s 6th congressional district, Jewish Republican Congressman Randy Fine fended off a challenge from Dan Bilzerian, the former poker player and online influencer who ran perhaps the single most evil political campaign in modern American history. Bilzerian explicitly said he sought to defeat Fine because he was Jewish, and his closing campaign ad urged Floridians to “revisit” Hitler.

Fine defeated Bilzerian by nearly 40 points.

Turns out Florida Republicans have a functioning moral compass. The ethically challenged incumbent Cory Mills lost badly in Florida’s 7th congressional district too.

On the right, the online trolls of the “woke reich” lost badly. That’s a great sign for the Republican future.

On the left, the civil war sits at a stalemate.

Republicans might want to see the crazies of the DSA stick around longer. But all patriots who truly put America first should want the DSA banished for good.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CREATORS.COM

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our Mid-Day Digest for a summary of important news each weekday. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday, Alexander's Column on Wednesday, and the Week in Review on Saturday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our uniformed Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your *Patriot Post* team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty and our Republic's Founding Principles, in order that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2026 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.