The so-called “blue tsunami” washed across America. Only a few states held firm, including the obvious deep-red culprits, as well as Florida.
The Sunshine State has grown more conservative over the last couple of decades, and much of that recent progress can be attributed to Ron DeSantis. Florida’s current governor has maintained a strong track record and expanded Republican voter registration.
DeSantis didn’t pull any punches when assessing the election and criticized the GOP’s handling of core civic virtues — all of which any political party should uphold.
First, he mentioned voting on the release of the Epstein files: “We ran as Republicans on saying we need to do that. And then you actually have people in the Congress voting against release when the attorney general said she had all this horrific stuff on her desk and that people were gonna be held accountable.”
He also talked about the issues with congressional insider trading: “It’s untenable when you have people going in trading stocks. I’ve never traded stocks since I’ve been in elected office. How do you have no investment acumen, and then all of a sudden get elected to Congress, and then you’re outperforming Warren Buffett?”
Ron DeSantis’s brand has been doing what he promised. Voters have rewarded that. He presents that in stark contrast to Washington GOP leaders, and he specifically pointed to President Donald Trump.
“He obviously ran saying he wasn’t going to do a Middle East war, and they did. So, we had some of our voters who’ve checked out because they’re like, I didn’t want any more Middle East wars, and now we’re doing it. And what’s happened is it’s kind of an open-ended conflict, and it’s having a direct impact on people’s finances. Gas is higher. It hurts people, working-class people, and it’s higher because of this conflict. That’s just a fact. If you can’t admit that to voters, then you’re gaslighting them, and they’re not going to listen to you on other things.”
DeSantis hasn’t always been a huge fan of the current administration’s tactics, but he played along so long as Team Trump controlled the party. However, since the midterm has evidently signaled the nation’s shift against the Trump administration and associates, the Florida governor has a potentially popular position among Republicans and the nation at large.
The question of the 2028 presidential election looms large in the minds of Republicans looking to return to form from a likely lame duck presidency. Perhaps the era of the MAGA Republicans is over, and the American people want literally any other option. One window into that will be JD Vance’s presidential prospects.
Betting odds have Vance’s nominee chances at around 30%, down from nearly 60% just a couple of months ago. Marco Rubio has steadily crept up over the past few weeks, and has held firm even post-midterms. But Ron DeSantis’s chances have shot up this past week, taking most of the odds that Vance lost.
It seems clear why. Republicans tried the populist experiment for a decade and experienced some high highs and low lows. In promoting policy, President Trump has largely been successful. But in governing a country and catering to the people, he has not been as successful. DeSantis presents a stark contrast. He displays competency in governing Florida. He’s managed his economy well and improved Floridians’ quality of life over recent years. Because he’s done that, he’s been able to engage in his more ideological battles with little backlash.
DeSantis is actively pointing out the flaws of the Republican strategy, and his record indicates he could fix it. He is primed for a run for the Oval Office. But will he defeat the likes of Vance and Rubio, as well as the strong Democrat contenders, to keep the Oval Office red? That’s anyone’s guess — or online bet.
