ORLANDO, Fla. — The Nov. 8 general election has come and gone, and in Seminole County, it was a very red night.

What You Need To Know

  • Seminole County voters saw all 11 statewide races go red

  • Three school board seats went to Democratic candidates

  • GOP officials credit their success to leadership since start of COVID-19 pandemic

  • SemDems say they are focused on a woman's right to choose

Of the 11 statewide races on the ballot, all 11 went to the Republican candidate. Still, members of the Seminole County Democratic Party, or SemDems, say left election night on a positive note.

Before Bruce Cherry became the Seminole County GOP chair, he spent more than 30 years in radio, some of which was on-air.

Currently, he works for a conservative talk radio station, and he said going from his workplace to the campaign trail in October and November was an easy transition.

“I’m a people person,” Cherry said with a smile.  “My fiancé gives me grief because when we go out together, I am always stopping and talking to people. I just love people. Love people — I love my country.”

Before Cherry became a registered Republican, and later the chair of the Seminole Republican Party, he was a Democrat.

“The Democratic Party has drastically changed over the years,” Cherry said. “So about 10 years ago I became a Republican.”

While canvassing for the November elections, Cherry said his talking points were simple: His party was working to get things fixed.

Of the 11 state races voters could cast their ballot on in Seminole County, all of them went red. Cherry said he believes Florida voters put a lot of weight in to how the past two years went, and not just the past few months.

“Florida, as a whole, did really well during the pandemic because we had great leadership at the top,” Cherry said. “I believe that played a major role in why Seminole County was very red.”

Preparing now for the 2024 elections, Cherry said he is focusing in on the nearly one third of all county voters not affiliated to a party. He said he was optimistic that the GOP’s beliefs are the same for many both statewide and locally.

Those issues include: low taxes, a pro-life stance, supporting constitutional laws, supporting law enforcement, and supporting parental rights.

As for the Democrats this past election cycle, their message to voters became clear after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that had established abortion as a constitutional right.

SemDems Chair Lynn Moira Dictor said the committee focused on housing, LGBTQ rights and women’s rights.

The former talk radio host said messaging comes easy, especially when connecting with potential voters.

“We mailed to them,“ Dictor said while holding several mailers endorsing candidates. “We called to them, we texted to them, we robo-called. We did everything to get those people here in Seminole County to recognize that the common-sense candidates were blue.”

Despite taking several losses on election night in the statewide races, Dictor said the community spoke up when it came to children.

“Some of our neighboring counties put on some QAnon ladies or some of those Mom for Liberty ladies, and it was lookout," Dictor said. “But in Seminole County, we sent those extremists packing. We said that Seminole County is common sense, and we are not going to turn over our children to a group of extremist folks.”

As both the Seminole County Democrats and Republicans key in on voters without a party affiliation for the next election cycle, Dictor said she knows her committee also needs help from Orange County Democrats following parts of Seminole being redistricted. 

“When they redrew the lines for congress, when they redrew the lines for the state, the governor put his thumb on the scale,” Dictor said, pointing at a county map. “(Gov. Ron DeSantis) tipped it so far to the right, to Republican, that our people really struggled to make it work.”