GOP Chair Predicts Late Surge as Florida Storms Hit

Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters says the party will win if GOP voters turn out nationwide as South Florida counties face historic rains.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a dense storm cloud over dark water beneath a pale horizon, evoking the weather pressure on Florida's election day. — Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters predicted a late GOP voter surge on Election Day as storms forced emergency operations in six or seven Florida counties. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters said on Breitbart News Daily on Election Day that Republicans will win if GOP voters turn out across the country. Six or seven Florida counties opened emergency operations centers after torrential downpours that were described as a 1000-year storm in South Florida.

Why it matters

The remarks come as the RNC says it has spent over six months building get-out-the-vote operations in 27 or 28 states, with turnout efforts now complicated by storm damage in Florida. Florida's Republican registration advantage of 1.5 million is central to the party's expectations for the state.

The figures are party-supplied claims: the RNC cites a Florida registration advantage of 1.5 million and an overall Republican lead of nearly two million over Democrats, with staff in 27 or 28 states for more than six months. It is not known how many Florida voters were affected by the storm or whether any turnout impact has been measured.

The players

Joe Gruters

Joe Gruters is the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, the party's national governing body.

Cord Byrd

Cord Byrd is Florida's Secretary of State, the state official responsible for elections administration.

The details

Gruters made his comments on Breitbart News Daily on Election Day, predicting a late surge across the country that would surprise many people. Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd has been consulted, and no extensions to voting have been granted, while the RNC is working with counties to help voters affected by the rain.

Over the last two years, the GOP recruited mainstream candidates across the country.
Over the last six months, RNC staff have worked on get-out-the-vote efforts in 27 or 28 states.
On Election Day, November 3, 2026, Gruters made his remarks and Florida counties opened emergency operations centers.

Seasonal Patterns

Florida's election administration has repeatedly had to adapt to severe weather during peak voting periods, and the current storm places a 1000-year rainfall event on Election Day. Party turnout efforts in the state now depend on how quickly county operations can recover.

Florida voters affected by the rain should check with their county elections office about polling locations and voting options. No extensions to voting have been granted, so residents in affected counties should plan to vote as scheduled.

The takeaway

Turnout efforts can be disrupted quickly by weather on Election Day, so voters in storm-affected areas should confirm their polling information directly with local election officials.