Buttigieg says Dems have huge opportunity in Florida: “No such thing as a permanently red state”

He also slammed Republicans for being "bad at government."

At the Democrats’ Leadership Blue Conference in Florida over the weekend, keynote speaker Pete Buttigieg declared, “There is no such thing as a permanently red state” and said he believes there is “enormous opportunity” for Florida Democrats in the upcoming election cycle.

“I feel how many people here… are ready for something different, and ready for something better,” he said in his opening.

Related

Pete Buttigieg speaks about trauma of being swatted: “This cannot be the cost of… public service”

Buttigieg, who was Secretary of Transportation under President Joe Biden, also slammed Republicans for failing to help the American people.

“You need healthcare? They give you a culture war. You need better infrastructure? They give you a boat parade,” he said, as reported by Florida Politics. “The problem is they want to be put in charge of the government, but they’re bad at government. That affects everyday life for us and for our families.”

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

He added that the Florida GOP is focused on gerrymandering rather than helping Floridians. “The Republicans in charge here haven’t responded to policy failure by changing their policies. Instead, they’re trying to just change the rules.”

After his speech, he told the press he believes Democrats will be competitive in the upcoming election cycle “in places that would’ve been written off just a few months ago.”

“The fact that Mar-a-Lago is now represented by a Democratic legislator right here in Florida, the fact that Miami voted for a Democratic mayor for the first time in basically a generation shows you that different things are possible,” he said.

He told local news that “folks are fed up” with the high insurance rates and cost of living in the state, which “creates an opening for Democrats who have a message about being more focused on lowering costs.”

In his speech, Buttigieg also called out individual Florida Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, who Buttigieg called “an unbelievably disturbing extremist,” as well as Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), whose former girlfriend took out a restraining order against him last year after accusing him of assault and threatening to release explicit videos of her.

Buttigieg then mocked anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL). “With the cost of living out of control, our nation at war, Rep. Fine committed his time in Washington to developing important legislation like the — I’m not making this up —  Protecting Puppies from Sharia Law Act.”

Fine has been called a “MAGA warrior” by the president and has built a reputation as one of Florida’s most anti-LGBTQ+ politicians. 

Buttigieg seems to be positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run. Last week, he told reporters in Iowa that he won’t rule it out.

Subscribe to the  LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.