What One Florida County Could Tell Us About a "Gray Revolt" on Election Night
Last week, Democrats took delight in the spectacle of a 500-golf cart flotilla of Joe Biden supporters parading through Florida's largest retirement community en route to turn in their vote-by-mail ballots.
It was a rare sight: The Villages is one of the most staunchly Republican enclaves in the Sunshine State.
But The Villages isn't just worth watching for its warring buggies and flags. From a data standpoint, it could be the best early indicator on Election Night of a "gray revolt" against President Donald Trump — and who's on track to win Florida.
Trump's campaign assigns so much importance on the 122,000-resident community dubbed "Florida's friendliest hometown" that Vice President Mike Pence visited last Saturday and Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in nearby Ocala on Friday. Biden was in Broward County on Tuesday making a pitch to seniors.
But amid COVID-19, Trump has struggled to replicate his 2016 success with older voters, and there's mounting evidence even more seniors are bailing on him.
Technically, The Villages sprawls across three counties, but the bulk of its booming population is in Sumter County. Sumter is demographically extreme: it's 85 percent white and it boasts the highest median age in the country by far, 69.
https://cookpolitical.com/analysis/national/national-politics/what-one-florida-county-could-tell-us-about-gray-revolt
