While DeSantis can’t stop putting his foot in his mouth, the GOP has revved up the massive GOTV operation that has taken it two decades to build. Bottom line: They are kicking our ass right now:

Orange Co. Tax Collector and former Florida Legislator, Scott Randolph.

I put off writing this because, although the leads were sizable for the GOP, every day I’ve been waiting for us to catch up. Blue Wave? Remember?? Our streets were filled with angry protesters just a year ago, so why the hell would you protest but forget to vote?

Yet with each passing day, the voter lead has only been growing for the GOP. (All counties in Florida have to report their ballot count every day.)

Right now, we are barely keeping pace with the percentage that we had in 2014, which is when Rick Scott defeated Charlie Crist for governor. I understand that many of you think this is all okay, because traditionally Democrats vote at the last minute on the last day of voting. Here’s the thing: 60 percent of the vote will be done before Election Day. Statistically, if we aren’t close, there's very little chance we can make up the deficit with the final 40 percent on Election Day. (In fact, the GOP usually outpaces us on Election Day, so we need to get that gap closed now.)

Not just in early voting, but we are also way down in numbers of vote-by-mail (VBM) returns. Democrats have more ballot requests, but the GOP has more returned ballots. Again, returned ballots are the only things that matter here. The votes are out there, but they are pointless if they are not mailed in.

Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph said that tens of thousands of Orange County Democrats have yet to turn in their mail-in ballots. (This is likely a statewide problem as well.) The issue here is that if you have a mail-in ballot, you are rapidly running out of time to send it back. They have to be received by the supervisor of elections by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day , which means they have to be mailed by this Tuesday or Wednesday (Halloween) at the latest.

I’m not saying any of this to be a Chicken Little. We have the votes to win, but only if those votes are taken. This election is nowhere near over, but I’m sounding the alarm that it's time to STEP IT UP if we don't want to once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory:

If you haven’t voted this weekend, go vote now. DO NOT WAIT! Besides, if and when the Blue Wave materializes, that will take pressure off the Gillum campaign and allow other races and candidates to be focused on.

If you haven’t mailed in your ballot yet, stop whatever you are doing and do that right now. One of my friends I convinced to do VBM now says there are too many amendments and races. I told him he didn’t have to vote in every race. In fact, I suggested voting Democratic in the labeled partisan races, and said leave everything else blank. I only suggested marking YES on Amendment #4 to restore voting rights, but said forget everything else. Seriously … I’d rather it be incomplete than not turned in.

Find someone who hasn’t voted. One person. Talk them into it. Drive them to an EV station. I usually don’t talk politics with my friends here, but that’s out the window. Too much is at stake.

Finally, if you haven’t gotten involved, now would be a pretty damn good time: Volunteer for Gillum. Even if you are outside Florida, you can send texts or call. Donate to Gillum



I understand a lot of Democrats are busting their humps this election: This diary is not for you. But for many others in my party, I am hearing the same sounds of complacency as the last time we had an awesome candidate vs. a know-nothing racist. Florida was supposed to be a lock, remember?

Yet the comments section here is similar to what I heard two years ago. (“Geesh, we got this," or “But the polls," or "Don't worry, independents and cross-over GOPers will save us.") That needs to stop. Yeah, we will get a share of the NPAs, but that means squat if we can’t turn our own damn people out. We should be turning out in droves and putting this away. Please, don’t wait till the last minute—something could come up, or you might discover you were purged. The election is ours for the taking, but we have to treat this at least as seriously as the other side does.

I know it really sucks that we have to work so hard just to get someone in office that Florida actually deserves, but that’s our reality.

The GOP has the 20-year infrastructure it’s built, and the operation of a well-oiled machine. Moreover, it has several Rick Scott laws that suppress “undesirable” voters. All we have is much better candidates who care about Florida, but oftentimes that is not enough.

Again, this thing isn’t over. We can totally win this, but we need all hands on deck. If you were on the fence before, it’s time to get out on the field. NOW!

Do you want to be a winner Nov. 6, or a whiner Nov. 7?