Abbot and Shapiro have both been outspoken critics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in university education. For example, on Oct. 12 of this year, Shapiro—who is a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute—posted on X that “DEI is a poison that needs to be eradicated from higher ed (and everywhere else).”

He also, along with Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo, urged legislators to improve higher education by abolishing DEI policies.

Dr. Abbot has also blasted DEI in higher education. In a Mar. 21 post, he quoted an article he co-wrote which states that “DEI ideology attacks three fundamental values of Western culture: equality before the law, freedom of expression, and due process. We must fight this ideology forcefully if we want to preserve a free and just society.”

[DeSantis certainly delivers on his promises in Florida. We’ll see if that translates to some rethinking by the GOP primary electorate. — Ed]