The DeSantis moment: Florida's governor emerges as possible Trump successor

“Probably no one has been helped more by the pandemic than DeSantis. DeSantis has become the Republican foil to Cuomo and Newsom,” said conservative strategist Chris Barron. “Proof that you didn’t have to wreck your economy and ruin lives in order to keep people safe. What will be interesting to see if DeSantis’s popularity with the grassroots will extend past the pandemic and whether he can capture the attention and excitement of the base in the same way President Trump did and continues to do.”

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“Gov. DeSantis’s leadership during the pandemic has earned him plaudits in conservative circles across the country. When other big-state governors were stressing lockdowns and stoking fears, DeSantis was pushing to reopen safely, and it paid off. His goal was to minimize death and suffering while maximizing openness,” O’Connell added. “And it is not just Republican voters who recognize DeSantis’s success and meteoric rise, there is a reason why the Florida governor is being hammered by the dominant liberal media. He is succeeding by following the science and the data and making media-anointed pandemic heroes like Govs. Newsom and Cuomo look like amateurs in terms of doing what is best for their constituents.”

At the very least, this could help DeSantis win a second term as governor. “The Republican Party of Florida is 100% solidified behind Ron DeSantis,” Miller said. “Whoever decides to run against him will be going against a very popular bipartisan governor who has led with integrity during a crisis.”

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