In case you hadn’t noticed, the Democrats are afraid of first-term Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Deathly afraid. He’s a young, energetic governor from the swingiest of swing states; a husband and father with a good, solid, conservative compass; and a regular guy with a knack for making leftists’ heads explode — all with a friendly, tourist-attracting smile on his face.

If you’re a dour, race-baiting Democrat, what’s not to fear?

“A native Floridian with blue-collar roots,” his biography reads, “Ron worked his way through Yale University, where he graduated with honors and was the captain of the varsity baseball team. He also graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer. … His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and the Iraq Campaign Medal.”

Blue-collar roots, Ivy League excellence, athletic achievement, and military service. Again, if you’re a Democrat, what’s not to fear — especially when your own stable of future presidential candidates is so bare?

DeSantis, by any fair assessment, has been on quite a roll of late. He’s been a smart, scientific, resolute, and lockdown-free leader throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and his state ranks below the national average in deaths per capita despite having, with its large percentage of elderly, perhaps the nation’s most vulnerable population. He’s kept schools open, he’s gotten rid of vile Critical Race Theory in Florida curricula, and he’s signed anti-rioting legislation to strengthen law and order and reduce the likelihood of mayhem by hard-left agitators.

And just yesterday? He announced the awarding of $1,000 one-time bonuses to approximately 174,000 first responders, including law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters across the state. “Supporting our law enforcement and first responders has been a top priority for my administration,” he said, “and it has never been more important than over the last year. … This one-time bonus is a small token of appreciation, but we can never go far enough to express our gratitude for their selflessness.”

The move offers quite a contrast to hard-left calls for defunding the cops. We’re not sure this measure is particularly conservative, but it’s certainly savvy, and certainly law-and-orderly.

No wonder the Leftmedia has been smearing him, and no wonder Democrats are desperate to beat him in 2022. Florida Representative Charlie Crist announced this week he’ll challenge DeSantis next year, and he’ll likely be joined by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Congresswoman Val Demings, a House impeachment manager. As Power Line’s Paul Mirengoff writes, “The Democratic nominee will have plenty of resources with which to take on the Republican incumbent. … With Ron DeSantis being discussed as one of the front-runners on the Republican side for 2024, we can expect liberals from blue states to invest large amounts of money and human capital in the effort to defeat him.”

As for Crist, a Republican-turned-Democrat and former Florida governor, we’re not sure he has the right line of attack figured out. He recently accused DeSantis of being “mean and cruel to children” when he banned biological males from competing in women’s and girls’ sports. Go ahead, Charlie. Keep on advocating in favor of “transgender” males and against the daughters of Florida voters.

And to think DeSantis barely beat Andrew Gillum in the 2018 gubernatorial election. (The margin was 49.59% to 49.19%, a mere 33,000 votes out of more than eight million cast.)

“If you think California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey lockdowns were bad, imagine a Florida under Gillum,” writes Townhall’s Scott Morefield. “Imagine a Florida with closed beaches, shuttered restaurants and businesses, and mandated masks. … Imagine Florida’s nursing homes being filled with COVID patients early on in the pandemic, causing thousands more elderly to die. Imagine theme parks that bring joy to millions every year closed indefinitely and on the verge of bankruptcy. … Imagine residents fleeing the state in droves, if the higher taxes hadn’t already driven them out.”

Floridians must be thanking their lucky stars. And Democrats must be gnashing their teeth.