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Can college students help a Gen Z Democrat flip a Central Florida House seat? • Florida Phoenix

Posted on by Gerres
Can college students help a Gen Z Democrat flip a Central Florida House seat? • Florida Phoenix

Nate Douglas, a 23-year-old running for the Florida House of Representatives, is counting on students to help him win a tight election that will unseat state Rep. Susan Plasencia.

The race in House District 37, which includes parts of Orange and Seminole counties, is one of the tightest this cycle, but Douglas believes that if University of Central Florida students go to the polls, he will be able to turn the district blue again after Plasencia’s victory in 2022.

“We’re still on campus and this time there’s a reaction on campus that shows that students are definitely ready to get out and vote, but you know, it’s always going to take a lot of pressure because compared to many on college campuses, UCF tends to have a lower voter turnout,” Douglas said in an interview with Florida Phoenix.

“And you know, for me it’s a competition at this point. We need to get all students in Florida to vote, but we especially need to get UCF to vote.”

According to campaign finance records, which include candidates’ campaign funds and the political committees supporting them, Douglas outperformed Plasencia by more than $172,000.

Turnout among young voters may tip the scales

UCF is the largest university in Florida by student population 69,000 students. While there are about 12,000 voters on campus, even a few thousand voters could help decide this election, UCF political science professor Aubrey Jewett said in a telephone interview from Phoenix.

Republican Susan Plasencia of Orange and Seminole counties. (Photo courtesy of the Florida House of Representatives)

In 2022, Plasencia won the newly drawn district with 2,068 votes. The Republican has lived in the UCF area for 25 years and recently became executive director of the Orlando Regional Foundation of Realtors, according to her campaign website. Her brother, Rene “Coach” Plasencia, served in the Florida House from 2014 to 2022.

Democrats have a slight lead of 729 voters over the GOP there, according to voter registration data ahead of this year’s election.

“Obviously not every UCF student is a Democrat, but there is a disproportionate number of younger voters who tend to be Democrats, and according to Douglas, if he is to win this race, he needs to have at least a solid turnout,” Jewett said. “And if he wants to have the best chance, he needs to have a large turnout from the UCF area, especially among students who would be a natural constituency for him because he is so young.”

Douglas’s upbringing and political experience

In addition to being young, Douglas says his platform of protecting reproductive rights, investing in public education and lower housing costs would appeal to older voters in the district. His upbringing as the son of a public school teacher in a family that faced financial hardship during the Great Recession shaped his views on education and housing.

He criticizes Plasencia for voting in support of the state’s six-week abortion ban and bill she co-sponsored in 2023 providing state funds to families, regardless of income, to send their children to private schools.

Plasencia told other news outlets about it her views on abortion do not matter because voters will be able to decide whether they want to provide access to the procedure in this year’s elections. But lawmakers would have to implement Amendment 4 and could narrow the scope of the measure, as happened after 2018, when voters approved an amendment that restored voting rights to most Floridians with felony convictions.

In terms of age, the largest group of voters in HD37, around 23%, are people aged 20 to 29, according to US Census Bureau data.

Nate Douglas is the Democratic candidate for Florida House District 37. (Photo via Douglas X account)

“Republicans love to say that my youth equals my inexperience, but that just shows that they don’t understand their district very well and they don’t understand who they’re running to represent,” Douglas said. “Because young people deserve a seat at the table, and there are many people like me who have enough experience to represent us.”

Douglas has run successfully for office before. At age 19, he won a bid for a position with the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District. However, it was removed after being approved by lawmakers Bill in 2022, shortening the term of office for districts from four to two years. This act also required candidates to be actively involved in agriculture or retire from the industry.

What do college students think?

UCF Dems Chair Laurel Richmond said it was exciting to see a young candidate on the ballot. The campus group hosted events with Douglas, state Sen.-elect Carlos Guillermo Smith and state Rep. Anna Eskamani to discuss the stakes of this election. Douglas is attending tailgate events to promote his campaign and support U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress.

“I think it’s going to be crucial to turn that seat around,” the third-year student said. “The boundaries changed a lot, covering a large part of Seminole County, and we saw what happened when they showed up and UCF students didn’t, and that meant turning the seats red. So I think when students come forward and express their concerns, we will see a change in leadership that will be more representative of our values.”

Although there is also a group of Republicans at UCF working to get the vote count, Plasencia has not made contact with students, UCF GOP President Mary Connolly wrote to Phoenix.

“I have been in contact with several people from her campaign. We haven’t really done much, but we openly support her and put up some signs for her near the Live Oak polling place last week,” she wrote.

Plasencia’s campaign manager, Victor Martinez, did not respond to The Phoenix’s requests to speak with the candidate. According to her website, her priorities include reducing the cost of property insurance; expanding technical education and reforming professional licensing; protecting parents’ rights in education and expanding school choice; placing police officers in every school; and protecting Seminole County’s rural borders.