The Associated Press projected that Ron DeSantis easily won reelection, defeating former Republican governor turned democrat Charlie Crist.
For his second term in the governor's office, the controversial Republican promised to expand school vouchers, cut taxes and fight against "woke" issues.
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"If everything is woke, it will destroy this country," he said. We will not give in to the mob. The state of Florida is where a person dies.
All eyes are on Ron DeSantis as he decides whether to run for president in 2024, a decision that Republicans don't expect to be made until after he finishes the Florida legislative session next spring. At their only debate, Crist asked if he would serve four years as governor and not run for president in 2024, and DeSantis replied that he was an old donkey.
If he jumps in for the race, it will set him up for a fight with Donald Trump, who has already said he will run for president again.
After his first term in office, he was catapulted into the national spotlight for his handling of the COVID-19 epidemic. The former congressman claimed victory after his battles.
The hero of the left, Rebekah Jones, was pushed out of her position by DeSantis and later dinged by a conservative journalist, who went on to become one.
A mix of lockdowns enacted by Democrats running some of the state's most populous cities and major gaffes from his critics helped propel Ron DeSantis to a strong first term as governor.
His stock on the right rose even higher after he was accused of giving preferential treatment to a top campaign donor. The journalism institution didn't show an explicit "pay for play" scheme between the governor and the supermarket chain, which helped burnish the governor's credentials in the process for his ability to fight with mainstream media.
On the national stage, he was a modern culture warrior on the right. Disney, arguably the most powerful employer in Florida, opposed the governor's measure to bar what can be taught about sexuality and gender identity in elementary schools.
The combination of attacking major institutions from the hard right and governing based on the culture wars catapulted him into contention for the Republican.
As the star on the right rose, so did the anger from Trump, who has rarely faced a challenge to his grip on the GOP.
The Republican primary for governor was won by Ron DeSantis. As a third-term congressman in the early months of Trump's presidency, DeSantis flocked to the Fox News cameras stationed around the Capitol and made himself a regular presence defending Trump.
That on-air performance, along with Putnam's history of never fully supporting Trump, resulted in the then president's endorsement of DeSantis for the Republican nomination, and ultimately helped propel him to the governor's office, narrowly beating Andrew Gillum.
As in all things Republican politics in the Trump era, the more that the young firebrand brought to victory, the more Trump complained about him.
Most elected Republicans in Washington and throughout the states responded to the insurrection with a small indictment of political violence. On the first anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, the media was accused of equating the day with Christmas.
He didn't lean into the defense of Trump offered by more extreme Republicans
Early polling shows a large bloc of support for Ron DeSantis, as more and more Republicans say they want someone other than Trump to be the nominee.
He did not seek Trump's endorsement a second time and he did not get it. The two most powerful politicians in Florida were waiting to hit each other.
Despite the fact that previous Republican governors had taken a hit politically for accepting the support of Democrats in the White House, Ron DeSantis stayed in close touch with President Biden and toured the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
On the same day as the tour with Biden, Trump spoke at a conference in Florida and said that he might hit at his rival publicly. He only said, "God bless our governor"
The intensity went up a little more than a week after the split between the two men. The video of Megyn Kelly was reposted by Trump, who said he would easily beat the congressman in four years.
Trump tagged Ron DeSanctimonious with one of the trademark insults he used to take down opponents, calling him "Ron DeSanctimonious." Trump pulled back from the attack the next day.
He didn't respond with his own insult.
There is a period of time in the year of 2028.
After the legislative session at the Statehouse ends in May, Republicans don't expect DeSantis to make a decision on whether to run for president. Trump could try to force the issue by launching his third bid earlier than any other contender.
The 44-year-old will have to decide if he wants to take on Trump now and risk a devastating loss, or wait until 2028 and hope that Trump doesn't run again and that the hard-right base of the party still adores him.
Kellyanne said that the smart move would be to wait.
I hear a lot from donors that they would like to have so-and-so. Is it possible that we could have all the achievements without Trump? The Christian Science Monitor Breakfast was held in Washington, DC. Many people wouldn't want to take a chance on an heir to Trump when they could have the real thing.
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