FLORIDA — Forget the polls; Florida Democrats say they are very much in this fight and will score major victories on Election Day. It’s like the Republicans tell us: the other party doesn’t live in reality.

“I think we’re going to win in Florida. I think President Trump is probably going to win by seven or eight points,” Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power said. “If participation continues, it could be higher. »

Power told us Tuesday that he believes everything is on track for a historic victory in all races: the U.S. president, the Senate and the House, even preserving one or both Republican supermajorities in the Legislature.

GOP Voter Turnout registration advantage was the goal. So far, Power said, so good.

“I think we’re in a great situation,” the president said. “If you look at what we’ve done, we’ve cut the Democrats’ lead in mail-in voting in half, and then some. Now that early voting has begun, we are leading the way in this area. And we’re probably going to end up (Tuesday), plus 12 Republican turnout. We are happy with where we are.

GOP continues to lead in early voting totalsahead of Democrats in votes cast. This is true even in places like Miami-Dade, prompting some experts to warn that a Republican flare-up could be coming. Others, however, caution that predicting E-Day success from early voting is rarely accurate.

A recent state poll also shows Trump ahead by potentially historic margins — plus nine among Floridians in the rankings. last from Florida Atlantic University.

So why was Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried smiling? There are several reasons.

National voteeven one here in Florida, this suggests that early voters came out in favor of Harris, despite their party affiliations. Fried predicts a quiet and significant Republican vote for Democrats.

“We see a lot of people walking in front of or behind their husbands – coming up to our people and saying, well done,” Fried said. “We see these stories all over the state of Florida and across the country. I expect a minimum of 5-10%.

Fried also said Democrats are just starting to show up at the polls. Their super voters, who are reliable, have not yet done so.

“We have over three million very strong, consistent voters who have not yet voted,” Fried said. “We go out and chase them. The Republicans have no ground operations.

Mix that with the joke controversy still simmering after Trump’s rally on Sunday. Roast comedian Tony Hinchcliffe treated the audience to a racist and obscene routine before Trump’s speech at Madison Square Garden, including this attack on Puerto Ricans.

“I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe said. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

Political experts said For us, at the very least, it has become a distraction from Trump over the past week and, at worst, potentially damaging. Puerto Ricans are a key voting bloc, with more than 1.1 million people living in Florida.

Ultimately, for Democrats, election night will be about exceeding expectations. The presidency remains very difficult, but the U.S. Senate race could be close. Some House races are even closer. The party also feels optimistic about overturning at least one of the Republican supermajorities in the Legislature.