Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says registered Republicans now outnumber registered Dems in the Sunshine State

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said during a Friday speech at the National Conference of State Legislatures that there are now more registered Republicans in the Sunshine State than registered Democrats.

"When I got elected governor we had 280,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state of Florida," DeSantis said. He said that "today, for the first time in the history of Florida, we've now overtaken Democrats. There are now more registered Republicans in Florida than Democrats."

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Florida is a key swing state in presidential election contests. It went to Republican Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, after going to Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

"But I do think that you're seeing people move to states that value freedom," the governor said.

DeSantis, who has served as Florida's governor since early 2019, is up for re-election in 2022.

He has become an immensely popular figure on the political right and a leading voice against government overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a speech earlier this week, DeSantis jokingly referred to the Biden administration as the "Brandon administration," playing off of the "Let's Go Brandon" meme that has become popular among the president's opponents.

Shortly after the governor's remark, people could be heard chanting, "Let's go, Brandon."

The expression is a euphemism for the profane phrase "F*** Joe Biden."

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