Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has long been considered Donald Trump’s only real competitor in the Republican camp. The closer the midterms get, the more tailwind he gets. The Democrats fear him.
Florida, you have it better! The sun shines incessantly Sunshine State. Here you can still meet friends and family who send the kids to school and go to church on Sundays without a certain Dr. Fauci talks in about Corona. And all thanks to the governor, who is still true red, white and blue is upfront and always tells the truth to everyone.
At least that’s the opinion of Johnny and Donnie Van Zant. They can even sing a song about it because that’s their job. The two musicians from Jacksonville are brothers of the southern rock legend Ronnie Van Zant, singer of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, who died in a plane crash in the late 1970s. In their world hit Sweet Home Alabama Ronnie also expresses himself politically: “Watergate does not bother me, does your conscience bother you?!” (in approximately: The Watergate Scandal I don’t care, do you care about your conscience?). His brothers don’t bother with a few lines. You dedicate with SweetFlorida an entire song by a political figure: Ron DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis: The “Top Gov” wants in the White House
DeSantis, born in Jacksonville like the Van Zants, is the current governor of Florida, some – not only there – consider him the next president of the USA. He likes the rocking campaign song. This can be clearly seen in the official video. The 43-year-old was particularly taken with the passages against Anthony Fauci, the health adviser in the White House, and against US President Joe Biden himself. That the text is based on the slogan “Let’s go, Brandon!” popular among Trump supporters. DeSantis is visibly amused.
The man is politically recognizable on the same wavelength as Donald Trump. But: Unlike so many of his party friends, he does not follow the former president. At the midterms in autumn, the self-appointed “Top Gov” wants to be confirmed in office; That should give the impetus for the way to the White House. Hardly any political observer doubts it, DeSantis is doing nothing to dispel the impression. Trump should be the first to get the Floridian out of the way. Experts are already predicting a slash and stab between the two politically similar men during the Republican primary — although neither has announced their candidacy yet.
candidature a “done thing”
Even the political opponent is sure that DeSantis wants to become president. Democratic campaigners in Florida speak of a “fixed deal” and are trying to capitalize on it. Who wants a governor whose mind is halfway in Washington? That’s her reasoning. It is currently more than certain that she will catch. Florida has been red for more than 20 years. With the former governor and ex-Republican Charlie Crist, the Democrats nominated a promising opponent on Tuesday (local time), but the signs in the polls point to victory for DeSantis. The governor is popular and quite influential: quite a few of the candidates he supports won the primaries on Tuesday Sunshine State won.
The Democrats at the federal level have long been concerned with how much tailwind Ron DeStantis now has. Quite apart from the fact that quite a few wish he would give way to a younger candidate, they try to influence Joe Biden so that he does not only prepare himself for another duel with Donald Trump. According to polls, the incumbent president is the most promising opponent for his predecessor in office. But what would Biden look like against DeSantis, who is half his age and therefore inherently more vital and dynamic? Even if the 43-year-old exudes noticeably less charisma than Trump in public appearances.
Democrats let DeSantis do it
“In my opinion, the prospect of it becoming DeSantis is more frightening.” the US political portal “The Hill” an unnamed Democratic strategist. “He’s a smarter version of Trump, he’s far more strategic, and he doesn’t have a hundred lawsuits on his feet.” He’s been in a kind of election campaign for a long time anyway. Throughout his tenure, DeSantis has rarely missed an opportunity to blame Joe Biden for all alleged missteps in the state. DeSantis’ Tenor: “I want to wish the President a speedy recovery from Covid-19 and wish America a speedy recovery from Biden.”
“It’s inexplicable to me,” said Fernand Amandi, a former adviser to Barack Obama’s campaign team, “why – not just Joe Biden – but the entire Democratic establishment isn’t trying to disqualify him now in the race for the governorship.” Instead, DeSantis is practically given a free pass, he has no shame and he behaves like someone who doesn’t feel responsible to anyone, Amandi said.
Dangerous for Trump because he is like Trump
DeSantis’ far greater problem is likely to be the fixation of large parts of his own party on Donald Trump. The declared “advocate of freedom” cannot rely on the fact that the judiciary will step in and pull the ex-president out of circulation for one of the sometimes serious offenses that he is currently accused of. However, should Trump, contrary to expectations, be “prevented”, then the path would be clear for the lawyer with a Harvard degree. Not only because he is the Republican with the greatest approval for a presidential candidacy behind Trump, but also because the Trumpists would not have to change much. They don’t even have to get used to new gestures, as the video portal “The Recount” has observed.
According to political observers, DeSantis’ close political ties to Donald Trump make him his most dangerous opponent. Little by little, the mood seems to be tilting in the direction of the significantly younger of the two opponents, because ideologically he offers everything that the ex-president offers, but “is neither an imposter nor a liar,” as the right-wing columnist puts it Anne Coulter already stated at the beginning of the year. And because he has already delivered as governor.
In “Liberated Florida,” DeSantis has banned, among other things, the critical examination of racial discrimination and the discussion of homosexuality and sexual self-determination in the classroom. Disney World, one of Florida’s top employers and taxpayers, has had its governor revoke planning privileges because the company opposed the “stop woke” law. In the case of Corona, he propagated “close your eyes and through”: no conditions, but a ban on vaccination certificates. The daily average of 244 Covid deaths at the peak of the pandemic in autumn 2021 did not harm DeSantis. Rather, he is celebrated as the guarantor of freedom. In an electoral law reform, he made postal voting more difficult and limited the setting up of ballot boxes outdoors. In addition, an abortion ban after 15 weeks and an “anti-riot” law primarily against Black Lives Matter protests. Some of these regulations are still under judicial challenge.
The USA should “recover” on the Florida essence
According to DeSantis, the entire USA should “recover” from this Florida character. “I’ve only just started fighting,” the father of three says repeatedly. T-shirts, caps, flags can already be seen: “DeSantis 2024: Make America Florida”. These merchandising items are not authorized, but DeSantis does not have them banned either. In his home state, the governor would be Trump already far behind in the race for the presidential candidacy. Trump rallies nationwide according to a survey for the “New York Times” “Only” just under half of the Republicans behind him – even if prominent Republicans give the impression that the party is blindly behind him, so to speak.
Trump, it is said, feels that his skins are about to swim away. The ex-president used to be the mentor of the man from Florida, who probably owes his razor-thin governorship to Trump’s support in 2018. As is Trump’s way, he never fails to mention this when it comes to DeSantis. “We have a good relationship” For example, the “New York Magazine” quotes the ex-president. However, he should feel betrayed by DeSantis, as Trump is known to have an allergic reaction to disloyalty. But DeSantis’ political stance is so close to Trump’s that Trump finds no reason to lash out at the upstart as he usually does.
For the time being, the two avoid appearing together; even if they’re invited to the same events — such as the annual US Conservative Convention, CPAC. In their speeches, they do not mention each other’s names. It all seems like saving ammunition for the pre-election campaign. Then, however, the confrontation will probably be inevitable.
For the Democrats, all this means: “Biden has to spend more time in Florida, compete against DeSantis and not give him the entire stage”, such a party strategist on “The Hill”. “We shouldn’t be surprised if he suddenly appears as the party’s favourite. We see this move coming our way.”
Sources: “The Hills”, “New York Magazine”, “The Recount”, “New York Times”, sweetfloridasong.com, Make America Florida Shop, Homepage Ron DeSantis, Survey Siena College Research Institute, Florida Poll 2024 by Victory Insights, Anne Coulter