Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida’s hard-charging Republican chief who grew to become a family title throughout the pandemic, will win a second term leading the Sunshine State, CNN tasks, thwarting Democrat Charlie Crist’s try and take again his outdated job.
With the marketing campaign for reelection behind him, the main focus of DeSantis’ political future will now flip to 2024. A choice is looming on whether or not he rides his political success in Florida into a nationwide marketing campaign for the White House, the place he might discover himself on a collision course with former President Donald Trump.
On the marketing campaign path, DeSantis spent little time on Crist, as an alternative specializing in President Joe Biden and his nationalized political battles. His marketing campaign launched a sequence of compelling, sharply produced movies and advertisements geared as a lot towards his rising nationwide following on social media and electronic mail as Florida voters. In one labeled “Top Gov,” DeSantis, who served as a Navy lawyer, cosplayed as a fighter pilot as he shared his “rules of engagement” for “dogfighting” with the “corporate media.” In one other, his spouse Casey DeSantis delivered an emotional account of her battle with breast most cancers. His closing advert instructed God created DeSantis to be a fighter.
En path to his victory, DeSantis constructed an unprecedented money benefit over Crist and his $31 million marketing campaign. Half of the $200 million DeSantis raised got here from donations of $50,000 or extra, although he additionally obtained tens of 1000’s of small contributions from throughout the nation. As of November 3, DeSantis had $66 million unused between his two political committees. Sources near the governor’s workforce beforehand informed CNN that DeSantis’ political operation had explored tips on how to leverage leftover marketing campaign cash for a federal race.
Crist struggled to achieve traction after successful the first in opposition to state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in late August. His marketing campaign was additional hampered by the September arrival of Hurricane Ian, which introduced the race to a screeching halt and postponed a deliberate rally and fundraiser with Biden and the race’s solely scheduled debate. Biden did Crist no favors when he complimented DeSantis’ dealing with of Ian throughout a joint look in Fort Myers Beach.
Crist tried to make DeSantis’ identified political aspirations into a problem in the race. During their solely debate, Crist challenged DeSantis to vow to serve a full four-year time period if reelected as governor. DeSantis declined. In a canned line he appeared to learn off a paper, DeSantis mentioned of his future political ambitions: “The only worn-out, old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.”
In a second time period, DeSantis has promised to eradicate permits to hold firearms and additional “expand pro-life protections,” although he has not outlined what these is likely to be.
DeSantis was first elected to the US House in 2012. He was reelected twice, although he resigned his third time period early after securing the Republican nomination for governor in 2018. DeSantis defeated a extra establishment-backed candidate in that main on the again of an endorsement from Trump.
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