The horrific, deadly events that took place at our Capitol on January 6, 2021 when a large group of insurrectionists temporarily took control of the building, may be the reason for some leaving the Republican Party.
According to data from Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Lori Scott’s office, 940 Republicans have left the party since the riot that resulted in the murder of a Capitol Police officer and the death of 4 others.
On January 4th, there were a total of 195,133 registered Republicans in Brevard County; today there are 194,193. In contrast, when this data was collected on January 11th, there was no change in voter registration number for Brevard County Democrats in the same time frame. However, since the 11th, a total of 138 registered Brevard Democrats have also left the party.
Those who have left have mostly changed their registration to No Party Affiliated (NPA) or have registered as Independents. NPA’s have increased from 114,493 of January 4 to 115,248, a net gain of 755. There are a total of 7,466 Independents countywide. (There’s an unusual feature in Florida. What most people think of as an independent voter is actually “no party affiliation.” The “Independent Party” is technically a minor political party. Many people who choose it actually want the status that comes with NPA.)