ON NOVEMBER 8TH SOMEONE gained the $2bn Powerball, the biggest-ever lottery prize. On the identical day Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, gained a distinct form of jackpot. Voters re-elected him by a virtually 20-point margin—the widest by a Republican candidate for governor in Florida’s fashionable historical past, and a shocking enchancment from 2018, when Mr DeSantis gained by simply 0.4%, because of an endorsement by Donald Trump. Mr DeSantis can be the primary Republican governor to win closely Hispanic Miami-Dade County in 20 years. Consideration has already turned to what comes subsequent for him: “Two extra years!” chanted supporters at his victory rally—urging him to make a bid for the White Home in 2024. Mr DeSantis smiled.
If Mr Trump runs once more for president in 2024 (he has strongly hinted he may announce as early as subsequent week), he might discover himself pitted towards Mr DeSantis within the Republican main. Who’s the favorite? Amongst Floridians, a minimum of, Mr DeSantis seems to have the sting: even earlier than his midterm victory, Knowledge for Progress, a think-tank, polled doubtless Republican voters within the state and located that 44% stated they might vote for him if the presidential main have been held tomorrow. Some 42% stated they might assist Mr Trump (see chart). Solely 60% had a “very beneficial” opinion of Mr Trump, in contrast with 87% who gave Mr DeSantis prime marks.
The polling was restricted to Floridians; although Florida has traditionally been an vital swing state in presidential elections, main voters in Iowa and New Hampshire could have an even bigger say in selecting the Republican nominee for 2024. Nonetheless, Mr DeSantis’s relative recognition is outstanding in a state that Mr Trump gained simply two years in the past, and presently lives in. The previous president is aware of he faces a formidable rival. On the day earlier than the midterms, he threatened to “let you know issues about [Mr DeSantis] that gained’t be very flattering”. Many Republican voters discovered the timing of Mr Trump’s remarks inappropriate and tone-deaf, says Susan MacManus of the College of South Florida. After his re-election Mr DeSantis was dubbed “DeFUTURE” of the celebration by the New York Publish, a conservative paper that endorsed Mr Trump in 2020.
Mr DeSantis has offered himself as Trump with out the luggage. He shot to nationwide consideration throughout the covid-19 pandemic for opposing mandates for masks and vaccines. He shares Mr Trump’s populist tendencies, publicly attacking the media and “woke” corporations like Disney, and taking over culture-war points, together with the instructing of intercourse training and gender identification in school rooms. However in contrast to Mr Trump he has largely steered away from election denialism. “Preserve Florida Free” has been Mr DeSantis’s marketing campaign mantra. However a rivalry with Mr Trump shouldn’t be more likely to be freed from drama. ■
