“The View” co-host Ana Navarro told actor Michael Douglas on Tuesday’s broadcast that she remains a registered Republican for one practical reason: Florida’s closed primary system.
Douglas, appearing on the show, asked Navarro directly why she hasn’t registered as an independent given her frequent criticism of President Donald Trump. “I’ve admired you now so much for the last couple of years … But why aren’t you independent? How can you still be a Republican?” he asked.
The question drew laughter from Navarro, her fellow co-hosts and the studio audience before she answered.
“I’ll tell you why, because I live in Florida where the primaries are closed, and I want to be able to vote in the primaries and vote against those sons of b—-es,” Navarro said.
She added that she hopes to “make a difference in the primaries” by staying registered in the party.
Florida is one of several states where only registered party members can vote in that party’s primary election, a system that locks out independent and unaffiliated voters from choosing candidates in primary contests.
Navarro has long drawn criticism from conservatives who argue her political positions align more closely with her liberal-leaning co-hosts than with the Republican Party. She hosted coverage at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and backed Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential race.
Asked about that criticism in an interview this week with Entertainment Weekly, Navarro pushed back on the idea that her party registration is inconsistent with her views. “I’d argue that anybody who espouses the same views as Donald Trump isn’t much of a traditional Republican,” she said. “I’m not going to be lectured to about what a Republican is or isn’t.”
Navarro has described her political identity before. In 2019, she told co-hosts she had supported former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign and considers herself an “old-fashioned Republican,” citing support for free trade, a strong foreign policy and pro-immigration positions.
In 2022, when co-host Sunny Hostin questioned why she still identified as a Republican, Navarro replied: “Why are you still a Catholic? You don’t agree with everything about the Catholic Church.”
Last month, “The View” and ABC faced scrutiny after Navarro encouraged viewers to vote for a Democratic candidate in a closely watched Florida congressional race.
Republican consultant Mary Marslender, speaking to Fox News Digital, was sharply critical of Navarro’s continued Republican registration. “Ana Navarro doesn’t represent a broader phenomenon of GOP dissidents; she represents a total grift,” Marslender said. “She hasn’t supported anything from her supposed party in over a decade, but she won’t surrender her Republican voting card because it’s a credential that gets her on news programs.”
Marslender added that the show benefits from Navarro’s registration status. “‘The View’ needs a fake Republican who will constantly criticize actual Republicans, the president, and party donors, and she’s keeping the title because it’s her business plan to pull the Republican card meaninglessly,” she said.
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