ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The state of Florida has taken center stage in the 2020 presidential race so far, with President Donald Trump rallying in Orlando last week, and the first of the Democratic debates taking place this week in Miami.
- Florida has over 3.5M voters registered as no party affiliation
- NPA voters intrigued about presidential candidates
- Orange County ranks 3rd in the state for NPA voters
According to the Florida Division of Elections, Florida has more than 3.5 million people registered as "no party affiliation" — that’s about 25 percent of all registered voters.
Orange County has about 215,000 registered Republicans, more than 351,000 Democrats, but about 253,000 NPA voters, which is third in the state after Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
"I am all over the board," said NPA voter Ken Dittman, who's an expert in coins and runs estate sales.
But one thing he isn't sure of right now is who he wants to see run the country in 2020.
"We need to find a way to change our system, and since we are not, I am not really seeing a candidate that fits what I am looking for, which is more socially liberal and more fiscally conservative," Dittman said.
Last week in Orlando, Trump officially announced he is running again in 2020, and on Wednesday night, 10 democrats took the stage for the first time try to sway voters like Dittman.
According to Dittman, he says two candidates did perk up his ears slightly: Rep. John Delaney from Maryland and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii.
"My issue is, will the Democratic Party let them continue? Because they are not as extreme as most of the other candidates," Dittman said.
Denice Woody moved to Florida from Virginia in 2005 and is another NPA registered voter.
"I realize right now it is all up for grabs," Woody said.
She said she already knows all she needs to know about Trump, but she's intrigued to learn more about former San Antonio mayor and Obama cabinet member Julian Castro.
Woody says she wants to hear from the candidates at these debates before making up her mind.
"I need to hear the plan," Woody said. "I need to hear the details. I don't want, 'Well, I am going to fix the problem.' That's not enough. I need to hear how you are going to fix it."