Trumpeting Florida as a microcosm of the 2018 midterm elections, longtime Florida-based Republican strategist Adam Goodman said "all roads lead through" the "purple state" – equal parts political red and blue – and if there is ever a year to stem the GOP's 20-year reign in the state "this is the year."
"The influence of Washington and the president of the United States will be dramatically felt in this campaign," Goodman told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y.
"I think Democrats, if they ever had a shot to reduce, make more competitive, the margins in the [Florida] legislature, and in the major offices in the state, this is the year."
With its warm-weather climate, "gorgeous" landscape, and no state and local income taxes, Florida is one of the nation's growing populations, Goodman says. It has been a battleground controlled by Republicans since the early part of this century – but "not this year," he added, as it is progressively getting "younger and more dynamic," particularly in the "melting pot" areas of South Florida.
"Florida is called the purple state for a reason," Goodman told host John Catsimatidis. "If you want to feel the pulse of America, you come to Florida."
The growing population has left some behind, though, as 40 percent of Florida is "working poor," and the education system is rife with "underpaid teachers."
"Something's got to give," Goodman said. "If there ever is an opportunity for the other party to weigh in and be taken seriously, it is this year."
Goodman pointed to the "No. 1 Senate battle in the country" between Gov. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., which weighs the "good and bad" of the GOP following support of President Donald Trump, as Gov. Scott does.
"If you want to look at a state, if you want to choose a state, to make it simpler to look at what 2018 is all about, look at Florida, because in a way all roads lead through that," Goodman concluded.
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