After a contested midterm election cycle, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has emerged as a front-runner for the Republican nominee for president in the 2024 election after soundly winning reelection by roughly 20 points.
DeSantis made his case for why Florida outperformed the rest of the Republican party across the nation at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual meeting on November 19.
“It was a night of underwhelming performances across the country in terms of these midterm elections,” the governor noted, “but … the state of Florida delivered a true Republican landslide.”
“We added four new Republican congressmen to the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Florida. We secured supermajorities in the Florida legislature, the most Republicans we have ever had in Florida history,” DeSantis continued. “We delivered the greatest gubernatorial victory in the history of the state of Florida.”
DeSantis suggested that “Florida really has a blueprint for success.” He claimed, “We were a refuge of sanity when the world went mad. We were the nation’s citadel of freedom.”
“One of the reasons why Florida’s done well is because over the last few years, we stood out as ‘the free state of Florida.’ We refused to let the state of Florida descend into some sort of ‘Faucian’ dystopia where the people’s freedoms were curtailed and livelihoods were destroyed,” he continued.
DeSantis’ strong performance has led to conflict between him and former president Donald Trump, who recently announced his intention to run for the 2024 Republican nomination, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Texas Republican Party leaders have provided a mixed response to the potentially brewing confrontation between the two Floridian heavyweights.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who easily won reelection over a lively campaign from perennial candidate Robert O’Rourke, has not indicated his preference for a GOP nominee despite the glowing terms Trump had for Abbott during his announcement speech.
The former president called Abbott a “great gentleman” and a “very good man,” which is starkly different from his recent nickname for his potential challenger “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
However, other statewide officer holders, such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Commissioner Sid Miller, have already come out supporting Trump’s 2024 ambitions.
Matt Rinaldi, the chairman of the Texas Republican Party, told The Dallas Express, “I am waiting to see how the race unfolds and will strongly support the party’s nominee. It looks at this point like that nominee will be either Gov. DeSantis or President Trump, and conservatives should be optimistic.
“The party looks nearly unanimous in support of breaking with the failed globalism and corporatism of the past and electing a conservative who will put the interests of Americans first, secure our border, prosecute crime, fight against the deterioration of our culture, and stand up for American workers and parents,” the chairman concluded.
Not everyone is sold on a DeSantis bid for the presidency in 2024, however.
Former New Jersey Governor and presidential hopeful Chris Christie suggested, “When all you’ve done is run statewide in a red state like Florida, that presents certain challenges but not nearly the number of challenges you’re going to have to endure running in a contested primary for president of the United States.”
“He could wind up being the runaway nominee or he could wind up like Scott Walker did dropping off in September before the primaries start,” Christie warned.