Florida Democrats appeared to be riding high in 1986. But they weren’t.

The popular Bob Graham was in his final year as governor before going to the U.S. Senate. All six Cabinet members were Democrats. The party held both houses of the Legislature and most seats in the state congressional delegation.

Statewide, registered Democrats still outnumbered Republicans by about 1.2 million — similar to the lopsided advantage the GOP holds today.

Few saw the deep trouble ahead.

Florida was still solidly Democratic then, but it was not liberal, then or ever.

In 1986, Democrats forgot all that. They abandoned their winning tradition of nominating moderate centrists and instead chose a liberal, Steve Pajcic, for governor.

It was the election that put Republicans on track to long-term success i

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