Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has blamed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for causing many people from Minnesota to migrate out of the state and move to Florida.
Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris — who is the presumed Democratic Party’s presidential nominee — chose Walz as her running mate, many Republicans have attacked him and his policies.
Walz During the Pandemic
Many Republicans have made concerted efforts to go after Governor Walz’s policies, particularly those seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Minnesota had stricter policies than Republican-led states like Florida did, many leaders such as DeSantis have called Walz out on what they see as bad policies.
DeSantis Attacks Walz Over Minnesota Migration
On X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis blasted Walz over claims that many Minnesotans had moved to Florida, especially during the pandemic.
“In 2021, Minnesotans were roughly five times more likely to move to Florida than vice versa,” DeSantis posted on X. “They were fleeing a state that, under Gov. Tim Walz, turned its back on law and order, increased taxes, and imposed unscientific coronavirus restrictions, harming children and destroying businesses.”
The Real Numbers
Quickly after this line of attack went viral, many analysts came out with the real data that shows migration numbers between Minnesota and Florida.
According to these numbers, DeSantis is slightly correct. Many Minnesotans do choose to move to Florida. However, this data is also slightly off, as the amount of people from Minnesota moving to Florida isn’t as high.
Minnesotans Migrating to Florida
As seen in migration data, 2021 saw almost four times as many Minnesotans moving to Florida than vice versa.
Meanwhile, in 2022, this migration difference shrank by half, as only two times as many people in Minnesota moved to the Sunshine State. Data from 2020 is not available because of the pandemic.
Looking at Migration Patterns
Analysts have also claimed that Walz doesn’t appear to be to blame for these migration movements — as Minnesotans have long chosen to move south to states like Florida.
By looking at data from many years, it’s seen that Minnesotans have moved to Florida much more than Floridians have moved to Minnesota.
Why Minnesotans Move to Florida
It’s also unclear why many Minnesotans may have chosen to move to Florida in the last few years. However, analysts have stated that that the allure of Florida has always existed for many who live in the cold Minnesota state.
As a result, many retirees from Minnesota have chosen to leave the state and retire in the much warmer Florida.
Is Policy to Blame?
Republicans like DeSantis have insinuated that people have fled Minnesota because of Walz’s policies.
Analysts have explained that it’s hard to know if this is the case or not. However, most experts don’t believe politics push regular people to move — especially when looking at other Midwestern states’ migration patterns.
Midwestern People Migrating to Florida
Data has shown that various Midwestern states have similar migrating patterns to Minnesota. They have more of their own people who move to Florida than they have Floridians moving to their state.
Interestingly, Republican-led Midwestern states have similar — and sometimes higher — out-migration numbers to the Sunshine State than Minnesota does.
Florida Remains a Desirable Destination
Jennifer Lynne Van Hook, the director of Penn State University’s Population Research Institute, explained why so many Midwestern people want to move to Florida.
She said, “Many people from the upper Midwest — many of whom lived with cold weather all their lives — look forward to retiring in a warm weather state like Florida, and this doesn’t have anything to do with liberal policies.”
Analyzing Actual Numbers
Since these claims from DeSantis against Walz have come out, some analysts have come forth with the real numbers of migration from Minnesota to Florida and vice versa.
2021 Census data has shown that about 10,156 people from Minnesota moved to Florida. Meanwhile, about 2,712 Floridians moved to Minnesota during this same year.
Walz Attacks Will Likely Continue
As the November presidential election gets closer, attacks such as these will likely occur more and more against Harris’ VP pick.
So far, Walz has faced various attacks, from criticisms of his military service to how he handled the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota.
