By Christine Sexton | Senior Reporter
“Democrats have already cashed their chips. Their most reliable voters have voted. Ours haven’t yet.” — Republican strategist Anthony Pedicini
Signs outside of a polling location in St. Petersburg on Oct 21, 2026. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
Strategists on both sides of the political spectrum weigh in on early voter turnout, which as of Friday afternoon showed Democrats had cast more than 38% of the votes, Republicans 40.4%, and no-party affiliation voters 21%. Republicans and Democrats alike acknowledge that GOP voters are more likely to vote on Election Day itself, a reason why some Republicans aren’t worried just yet about the early-voter turnout results.
President Donald Trump this week approved Florida’s request for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance following Hurricane Isaias. The approval was two-fold, the first was for public assistance in 15 counties and the second was for private assistance in eight counties. Meanwhile, Office of Insurance Regulation data show that more than 62,000 insurance claims totaling more than $650 million had been filed as of Oct. 27. The bulk of that sum is attributable to residential property claims
Gov. Ron DeSantis is not on the 2026 ballot but he’s been hitting the campaign trail as though he was. His main focus appears to be Amendment 3. The governor had more than one press event this week where he advocated for enshrining, at a minimum, a quintupled homesteaded property exemption in the state constitution.
COMMENTARY FROM THE STATES
Thanks for reading Weekly on the Phoenix. Did you know our daily morning newsletter is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.