We can keep chewing on the bad midterm news all day long, but the good news deserves more scrutiny as well. Republicans had good nights in Texas and a relatively good night in Ohio, for instance, and decent nights in North Carolina and Georgia.

Clearly, though, the red wave that Republicans expected to see nationally fully materialized in Florida. Ron DeSantis not only dominated the 2022 midterms in the Sunshine State, he very nearly painted the entire state red. As of 9 am ET or so this morning, DeSantis led Charlie Crist by twenty points, and won formerly Democrat bastions such as Miami-Dade and Palm Beach handily. DeSantis’ popularity extended to the down-ballot races, where Republicans romped. Marco Rubio blew out Val Demings in winning re-election to the Senate, 58/41, and the GOP won the Attorney General race by a 60/40 margin.

Florida’s run as a purple or battleground state is over. DeSantis has turned it entirely red and perhaps for a generation or more. In doing so, moreover, DeSantis can now lay claim to national leadership within the GOP, where the track record of other leaders — and not just Donald Trump — was considerably less impressive in these midterms.

DeSantis certainly sees this as well. In his victory speech last night, he claimed that mantle of party leadership and all but outlined his 2024 pitch. If DeSantis can paint Florida red, he’ll argue that he might be the only Republican that can do the same thing in other battleground states. And he’ll do that on policy and culture:

Now, today is the culmination of the 2022 fall elections, but in reality Americans have been voting for many years now. They’ve been voting with their feet. And the results of that behavior has been just as stark as our landslide victory today. States and cities governed by leftist politicians have seen crimes skyrocket, they’ve seen their taxpayers abused, they’ve seen medical authoritarianism imposed, and they’ve seen American principles discarded. The woke agenda has caused millions of Americans to leave these jurisdictions for greener pastures.

Now, this great exodus of Americans, for those folks Florida, for so many of them, has served as the promised land. We — We have embraced freedom. We have maintained law and order. We have protected the rights of parents. We have respected our taxpayers and we reject woke ideology.

We fight the woke in the legislature. We fight the woke in the schools. We fight the woke in the corporations. We will never ever surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die.

People have come here because our policies work. Leadership matters. We refuse to use polls and put our finger in the wind. Leaders don’t follow, they lead.

We set out a vision, we executed on that vision, and we produced historic results. And the people of this state have responded in record fashion.

Now, while our country flounders due to failed leadership in Washington, Florida is on the right track.

Reportedly, the crowd also recognized this pitch and chanted “Two more years!” At least for them last night, the mantle of Republican leadership landed squarely on the shoulders of DeSantis on the basis of total victory.

That leaves Republicans heading into the 2024 cycle, which might start as soon as next week, with a clear choice. Do they focus on candidate quality and coattail outcomes, which played a big part in successes in Florida and even New York, or on populist celebrities that cost them winnable elections in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire as well as the leadership that promoted them? Add that to the issues of age, national viability, and term limits to the mix, and DeSantis has a clear advantage — especially after the disappointing performances turned in outside of Florida.