The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) is the affiliate of the
Republican Party in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. It is currently the state's dominant party, controlling 20 out of 28 of Florida's
U.S. House seats, both
U.S. Senate seats, the
governorship and all other statewide offices, and has supermajorities in both houses of the
state legislature.
The Republican Party held power in state politics during the
Reconstruction era
The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...
after the American Civil War and included African American legislators and officials. Democrats regained power in Florida and across the South until the 1960s.
History
Several of Florida's governors and U.S. senators were Republican after the Civil War during the
Reconstruction era
The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...
. There were Republican
in Florida. The Republican Convention of 1867 in Tallahassee was the first statewide convention of Republicans.
Josiah T. Walls was a delegate to the convention.
Harrison Reed organized the Union Republican Club in Jacksonville and sent a delegation to the
National Union National Convention in 1864. After the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
black Republicans mainly joined the
Union League organized by Daniel Richards and
William U. Saunders. Richards was able to have pro-black rights resolutions passed at conventions. Reed stated they were "pandering to Negroes".
Richards, Saunders, and
Liberty Billings campaigned for black support for the
1868 Florida Constitutional Convention.
Edward McPherson, Clerk of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
withdrew printing contracts from the "
Radical Republican" supporting ''
Jacksonville Florida Times'', it later went bankrupt, instead supporting the moderate ''
Florida Union''. Richards accused
Freedmen's Bureau
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. government agency of early post American Civil War Reconstruction, assisting freedmen (i.e., former enslaved people) in the ...
officials of working against him.
Richards and Saunders' wing controlled a majority of the delegates at the constitutional convention. They submitted their proposed
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
to
George Meade and held a nomination convention that selected a gubernatorial ticket of Billings and Saunders and
Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs for
Florida's at-large congressional district. However, Reed's faction, claiming that the Radicals did not have a quorum, held another meeting and received support from Meade, who later approved their constitution. The Radical's constitution made most local and state offices elected while the moderate's constitution made those offices appointed and reduce representation of black counties in the state legislature. The Florida Radicals failed to gather support in Congress for their constitution, with even
Benjamin Butler supporting the moderate's constitution. The constitution was approved by voters in 1868.
Democrats regained control of Florida's state politics and across the South. Their control lasted until 1966 when
Claude R. Kirk, Jr. was elected. He became the first Republican governor elected in the state since the 19th century Reconstruction era. After
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
's victory in 1968, the state only voted Democratic in presidential elections in 1976 (
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
) 1996 (
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
), 2008 and 2012 (
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
). The
2000 presidential election was decided by a margin of 537 votes out of approximately 6 million cast, giving
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
the presidency over
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
.
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
's
Southern Strategy, which took advantage of objections to the advances of the
American Civil Rights Movement. This resulted in a regional political
realignment for the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
. The number of people registered with the party rose from 116,000 in 1952 to 1,139,000 in 1976.
The Florida Senate was still dominated by Democrats until 1992, when a majority of Republicans was elected. The Florida House of Representatives turned Republican after the November 1996 election. Since then, the number of Democrats in both chambers have continued to drop.
The Florida Legislature became the first legislature in any of the states of the former
Confederacy to come under complete Republican control when the Republicans gained control of the House and Senate in the 1996 election. In the 2006 election the Democrats actually gained seats in the State House, the first instance of this occurring since the early 1980s.
Structure and composition
In the
2014 gubernatorial election, the Republican nominee was
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Rick Scott
Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers; born December 1, 1952) is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and United States Navy, Navy veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of F ...
. He defeated the Democratic nominee, former governor
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph Crist Jr. ( ; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represen ...
, who was once elected as a Republican.
The Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida is Evan Power, elected by RPOF members in January 2024.
The
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
(RNC) is responsible for promoting Republican campaign activities, developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. Senator
Mel Martinez of Florida is the party's former General Chairman.
Michael Whatley is the current Chairman of RNC. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House and otherwise by the Party's state committees. The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...
, raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.
The Republican House and Senate caucuses have separate
fund raising and strategy committees. The
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the United States Republican Party, Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives.
The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Repub ...
(NRCC) assists in House races, and the
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in Senate races. They each raise over $100 million per election cycle, and play important roles in recruiting strong state candidates. The
Republican Governors Association (RGA) is a discussion group that seldom funds state races.
Ideology
The membership of the party is primarily made up of
fiscal conservatives
In American political theory, fiscal conservatism or economic conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, ...
,
social conservatives
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional social structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instit ...
,
neoconservatives, and members of the
Christian right
The Christian right are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation ...
.
Economic policies
Republicans favor
free-market
In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...
policies supporting business and oppose increases to the minimum wage.
Republicans are generally opposed to a
single-payer healthcare
Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare, in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from pr ...
system, such as that found in Canada or in most of Europe. They also oppose the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
and the expansion of Medicaid under the Act.
Republicans oppose
labor unions
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
and have supported
right-to-work legislation (with a right-to-work law currently in effect in Florida).
Social policies
Most of the Republicans' national and state candidates oppose
abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
,
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
, and
transgender rights, favor
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
(which is still used in Florida), and support
gun ownership rights.
Republicans advocate for
charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
s and
school vouchers
A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...
; many have denounced the performance of public schools.
Socially conservative Republicans support voluntary organized prayer in public schools and the inclusion of teaching
creationism
Creationism is the faith, religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of Creation myth, divine creation, and is often Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific.#Gunn 2004, Gun ...
or
intelligent design
Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins".#Numbers 2006, Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for it ...
alongside
evolution
Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
.
Symbols and name

The mascot symbol, historically, is the
elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
. A political cartoon by
Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast (; ; September 26, 1840December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon".
He was a sharp critic of William M. Tweed, "Boss" Tweed and the T ...
, published in ''
Harper's Weekly
''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper (publisher), Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many su ...
'' on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol. In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
and
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
was the
eagle
Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
, as opposed to the Democratic rooster. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots.
After the
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
election, the color red became associated with the GOP although it has not been officially adopted by the party. On election night 2000, for the first time ever, all major broadcast networks utilized the same color scheme for the electoral map:
red states for
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
(Republican nominee) and blue states for
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
(Democratic nominee). Although the color red is unofficial and informal, it is widely recognized by the media and the public to represent the GOP. Partisan supporters now often use the color red for promotional materials and campaign merchandise.
Lincoln Day,
Reagan Day, or Lincoln-Reagan Day, is the primary annual fundraising celebration held by many state and county organizations of the Republican Party. The events are named after Republican Presidents
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
and
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
.
Current elected officials
As of 2023, the party controls both U.S. Senate seats, 20 out of the 28 seats Florida is apportioned in the U.S. House, all statewide offices, and both chambers of the Florida state legislature.
Florida Republicans have consistently won gubernatorial elections in the state since
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
.
Member of Congress
U.S. Senate
File:Official Portrait of Senator Rick Scott (R-FL).jpg, Senior U.S. Senator
File:Senator Ashley Moody from Florida.jpg, alt=Junior U.S. Senator Ashley Moody, Junior U.S. Senator
U.S. House of Representatives
Out of the 28 seats Florida is apportioned in the
U.S. House of Representatives, 20 are held by Republicans:
State
Statewide offices

*
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
:
Ron DeSantis
Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...
*
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
:
James Uthmeier
*
CFO:
Jimmy Patronis
*
Commissioner of Agriculture:
Wilton Simpson
State legislative leaders
*
Senate president:
Ben Albritton
*
Senate president pro tempore:
Jason Brodeur
*
Senate majority leader
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...
:
Jim Boyd
*
House speaker:
Daniel Perez
*
House speaker pro tempore:
Wyman Duggan
*
House majority leader:
Tyler Sirois
State Senate
Republicans hold a 28-seat majority in the 40-member
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
.
State House
Republicans hold an 86-seat majority in the 120-member
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
.
Former Florida governors and U.S. senators
Governors
United States senators
RPOF Chairs
*
C. H. McNulty (1936–1942)
*
Cyril C. Spades (1942–1950)
*
G. Harold Alexander (1950–1962)
*
Tom Fairfield Brown (1962–1966)
*
William F. Murfin (1966–1969)
*
Duke Crittenden (1969–1971)
*L. E. Thomas (1971–1974)
*Bill Taylor (1974–1980)
*
Henry Sayler (1980–1984)
*
Jeanie Austin (1984–1989)
*
Van B. Poole (1989–1993)
*
Tom Slade (1993–1999)
*
Al Cárdenas (1999–2003)
*
Carole Jean Jordan (2003–2006)
*
Jim Greer (2006–2010)
*
John Thrasher (2010–2011)
*
David Bitner (2011)
*
Lenny Curry (2011–2014)
*
Leslie Dougher (2014–2015)
*
Blaise Ingoglia (2015–2019)
*
Joe Gruters (2019–2023)
*
Christian Ziegler (2023–2024)
*
Evan Power (2024–present)
Electoral history
Gubernatorial
See also
*
Florida Democratic Party
*
Political party strength in the United States
*
Political party strength in Florida
References
Works cited
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Party Of Florida
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
Political parties in Florida
Organizations that oppose LGBTQ rights in the United States
*
1867 establishments in Florida
Political parties established in 1867