RNC chairman sees Florida's 13 District win as a sign of things to come

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Republican David Jolly's winning the special election for Florida's 13^th congressional district could mean GOP candidates are ready to usurp seats from Democrats come November, possibly even taking the Senate back, according to the Republican National Committee chairman.

"The Republican victory in last week's special election in Florida's 13th District proves that Democrats are on defense as we head to November," RNC Chairman Reince Preibus in his March 17 blog post wrote.

"Even President Obama's top advisor David Plouffe said it was a 'screaming siren' warning Democrats of their weaknesses. There's no doubt Florida 13 has Democrats increasingly worried about losing the Senate."

The special election, held March 11, filled the seat left vacant by the late Rep. Bill young, a Republican. Jolly, who captured 48.5 percent of the vote, narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink, who landed 46.6 percent.

In his blog post, Preibus says Democrats should be worried because the election shows "their policies-especially ObamaCare-are unpopular" and that Republicans are benefiting from the RNC's new voter engagement strategy, which includes new data tools, technology and permanent ground game.

"We were able to support the great work of the National Republican Congressional Committee and equip the committee and the campaign with data and staff so that they didn't have to expend precious resources," Preibus said.

"In just one year, we've accomplished a great deal. We've been able to support candidates up and down the ballot and across the country with field staff; 91 percent of our political staff isn't in Washington, DC. They're in the field, around the clock."

From Legal Newsline: Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com.