Can DeSantis get past the Donald?

DeSantis’s victories put him at the forefront of his party on a theme that really matters to Republican voters, and to many independents as well. They don’t think K Street lobbyists, unions, Hollywood celebrities, federal bureaucrats, and big corporations are on their side. And, except for the lobbyists (who go wherever the money is), they know these groups are all firmly attached to the Democratic Party. Republican voters want a leader who will confront these entrenched groups — not reluctantly but eagerly — and beat them. That’s exactly what DeSantis showed them last week.

He’s done it before. Remember, he ended mask mandates in Florida over the opposition of Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control. The mainstream press ridiculed him; one journalist even calling him a “mass murderer.” Wrong. Florida’s health outcomes have been about the same as other states that enforced the mandates, while imposing a much lower cost on workers, small businesses, tourists, and school children.

DeSantis is also helped by another vital issue: his state’s vigorous growth. Florida’s economy and population have both risen rapidly thanks to zero state income taxes and a friendly regulatory environment. The best evidence of that success is the tidal wave of new residents arriving from New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, all states with high taxes and crippling regulations, all governed by Democrats. People are voting with their U-Haul trailers.