Florida was once the perennial swing state. 2022 may prove how red it has become

Four years ago, Republicans and Democrats in Florida were similarly optimistic about their chances of winning the governor's mansion and a toss-up race for a US Senate seat during the 2018 midterms. The results of those races -- razor-thin victories for Republicans in both contests -- devastated Democrats but nevertheless seemed to reenforce Florida's status as a purple state.