DeSantis wins big, with an eye toward 2024 - POLITICO

TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis swiftly trounced Democrat Charlie Crist connected Tuesday night, a triumph that volition signifier Florida authorities apt for years and sets the Republican politician up for a probable 2024 statesmanlike run.

DeSantis defeated Crist by a astir 20 percent borderline — 59 to 40 — a stunning borderline that was the widest borderline successful a Florida gubernatorial contention since Jeb Bush won by astir 13 points successful 2002. DeSantis besides won the Democratic stronghold of Miami-Dade County, different archetypal for Republicans since Bush did it that aforesaid year.

DeSantis was greeted with thunderous applause by a huge, raucous assemblage astatine his predetermination nighttime enactment astatine the Tampa Convention Center that advisers accidental was designed little for a reelection enactment and much arsenic a preview of what’s to come: a 2024 statesmanlike run.

“Now acknowledgment to the overwhelming enactment of the radical of Florida, we not lone won the election, we person rewritten the governmental map,” DeSantis said. “Thank you for honoring america for a triumph for the ages.”

DeSantis besides gave what could beryllium a preview for his adjacent race, contending the authorities had a go a “promised land” that had served arsenic a counterbalance to Democratic-led cities and counties.

“Now portion our state flounders owed to failed enactment successful Washington, Florida is connected the close track,” DeSantis said.

On the different broadside of Tampa Bay, Crist’s run huddled successful St. Petersburg with a overmuch much somber tone, adjacent arsenic they expected the outcome. DeSantis outraised Crist astir 7 to 1, and the erstwhile GOP governor-turned-Democratic congressman could ne'er physique wide predetermination momentum oregon interruption done the implicit $70 cardinal successful ads DeSantis and his aligned entities flooded the airwaves with.

“I privation the champion to my chap Floridians due to the fact that I emotion this state, I emotion her with each my heart,” Crist said. “You are great, good, decent, benignant people, and you merit thing amended than the precise champion God has to offer. We person truthful overmuch to beryllium thankful for … I’m a blessed man, and I americium astatine peace.”

DeSantis’ decisive win, coupled with a beardown showing from different Florida Republicans including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), enactment the authorities further retired of scope for Democrats moving into the 2024 statesmanlike cycle. National Democratic groups excessively look to beryllium abandoning the authorities aft decades of losses.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz connected Tuesday sent a memo to section enactment leaders outlining that during the 2018 midterms, a postulation of 7 nationalist groups spent astir $60 cardinal successful Florida, a fig that dropped to $1.3 cardinal this cycle. Diaz became president aft a unspeakable 2020 predetermination rhythm for Democrats, successful part, connected the heels of an endorsement from erstwhile New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a billionaire who galore successful the enactment expected to travel up his endorsement with waves of currency they could usage to rebuild the party. Bloomberg contributed precise small to Florida Democrats this cycle.

Headed into Election Day, determination were wide signs that Republicans would expanse galore races. But DeSantis’ triumph was epic successful its scope arsenic helium not lone took Miami-Dade County — agelong the firewall for Democrats — but helium besides won comparatively reliable Democratic-leaning counties specified arsenic Palm Beach and Osceola. Osceola County is particularly notable since it contains a immense contingent of Puerto Rican voters.

Republicans already person a 320,000-voter registration vantage successful Florida — the archetypal clip successful Florida governmental past determination are much Republicans than Democrats successful the authorities — and Democrats present fearfulness that DeSantis volition person a bigger mandate to propulsion for arguable policies arsenic helium continues to physique his nationalist profile. DeSantis, for example, won by little than 1 percent aft a recount successful 2018.

“This is truly an exclamation point, a culmination of 4 years of execution,” said Christian Ziegler, the vice president of the Republican Party of Florida. “This is simply a large win. No 1 tin quality that Floridians enactment this governor, but possibly much truthful this governor’s agenda.”

DeSantis started his tenure arsenic a politician arsenic a mean but shifted dramatically during the pandemic, wherever his hands-off attack to mandates similar required masking and vaccine passports helped him physique a estimation with Republicans crossed the country.

From there, DeSantis placed Florida connected the vanguard of galore of the nation’s astir polarizing civilization warfare fights. It has made him a prima with Republicans, and progressively a national-level governmental boogeyman for Democrats, who during the 2022 midterms failed to get nationalist Democratic organizations to walk successful Florida similar they person successful erstwhile cycles.

During his archetypal term, DeSantis loudly opposed captious contention mentation — an analytical model primitively developed by ineligible scholars that astir nationalist schoolhouse officials accidental isn’t taught successful K-12 schools — and became the nationalist look of the GOP-led Legislature’s parental rights law, labeled “Don’t Say Gay” by its opponents, that restricts teachers from starring schoolroom instructions connected intersexual predisposition and sex individuality for students successful kindergarten done 3rd grade.

His enactment of the authorities led to a precise nationalist combat with Walt Disney Co., whose CEO was initially soundless connected the instrumentality but aboriginal became a vocal opponent. DeSantis besides convinced the Republican Legislature to aboriginal portion Disney, 1 of the state’s largest employers, of its peculiar operating presumption successful Florida.

More recently, his formation of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard enraged Democrats, who accused of Florida politician of quality trafficking and utilizing susceptible migrants to further his governmental agenda.

“Once DeSantis is reelected, thing volition beryllium capable to halt him from enacting adjacent much utmost policies than helium has successful the past,” said Sean Shaw, a erstwhile Democratic Florida House subordinate from Tampa. “Floridians tin number connected seeing much extremist proposals that restrict entree to voting, prohibition termination and support costs precocious by helping retired large security companies portion leaving Floridians to ft the bill.”

But the policies that astir interest Democrats are the ones that person propelled DeSantis to a immense victory, made him a statesmanlike contender and functionally rewired however the authorities operates politically.

During his archetypal word successful office, DeSantis spent $5 cardinal done the Republican Party of Florida connected elector registration efforts, which fueled the monolithic summation successful registered Republicans. The results were overwhelming. Republicans easy won each of the 5 statewide races and swept a fistful of cardinal Florida Senate seats, capturing a supermajority successful that chamber.

“Governor DeSantis invested aboriginal successful registration and swung Republicans to a 300,000-voter advantage,” said Evan Power, the Florida GOP’s seat of chairs. “Now, with large Republican wins helium has dramatically shifted Florida red. This volition beryllium a elephantine governmental triumph that volition specify Governor DeSantis present successful Florida and connected the nationalist stage.”

Yet DeSantis’ nationalist ambitions volition conscionable head-on with erstwhile President Donald Trump, who is wide expected to denote a 2024 White House tally successful mid-November if not sooner.

Tension betwixt the imaginable 2024 rivals are already rising. Trump didn’t invitation DeSantis to a rally successful Miami implicit the play for Rubio portion the politician separately held his ain reelection rallies passim the state. But astir directly, Trump chided DeSantis with a disparaging nickname: “DeSanctimonious.”