![[Img #74675]](https://thelatestnews.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/They-discover-a-new-class-of-X-ray-sources-in-the-150x150.jpg)
First modification:
Washington (AFP) – Rising figure of the hard right, Ron DeSantis was triumphantly re-elected governor of Florida on Tuesday, a victory that cements his position as a potential presidential candidate against Donald Trump and tilts this once-democratic-conservative state toward the Republicans.
Although neither has yet announced their 2024 candidacy, the race for the Republican nomination may well have unofficially begun on November 8.
“For me, the fight is just beginning,” said Ron DeSantis, 44.
According to US media projections, the man who launched an inflammatory campaign against the Biden government and turned Florida into a laboratory for his ideas obtained between 57 and 59% of the vote against Democrat Charlie Crist.
“I think the survival of the American experiment needs a resurrection of true American principles. Florida shows that it can be done,” he added to cheers.
He did so without once mentioning Donald Trump, who, by endorsing him, gave him a huge boost in the gubernatorial race in 2018.
The latter seems consciously and visibly upset by the threat posed to him by the rise of this hard-right supporter and hugely popular with many Republicans fed up with the unpredictable Trump.
In the evening, the former president gave a brief speech, in which he hailed some Republican victories but was careful to mention what is already seen as his strongest rival.
On Monday Trump estimated that if Ron DeSantis chose to participate in the nomination race, it would be “a mistake.” “I don’t think the base likes him. I don’t think he’s good for the game,” he said.
As he often does with his opponents, Donald Trump has also recently used a derogatory nickname for the governor: “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Florida, from right
DeSantis’ very clear victory also confirms a clear anchorage to the right of Florida, long considered a “swing state” or hinge, that is, one of those that oscillate between Democrats and Republicans and are key in the elections.
The governor was not wrong: “We not only won the elections, we redrew the political map,” he said Tuesday night, welcoming a “historic” victory.
Because “it is clear that in these elections we have collected a significant number of votes from people who perhaps did not vote for me four years ago,” he said.
Unthinkable a few years ago, Ron DeSantis won the Hispanic-majority Miami-Dade county, where no Republican candidate for governor has won in twenty years.
Something that should worry Democrats, since although Hispanics traditionally vote for the left, they feel more and more attracted to the other camp.
Many people from the communities of Cuban and Venezuelan origin are sensitive to the anti-socialist discourse of the Republicans.
In addition, the way in which DeSantis handled the covid-19 pandemic may also have been instrumental in his victory.
The governor, who opposed vaccination and mask requirements, allowed Florida businesses and schools to reopen long before the rest of the country.
He recently caused controversy by claiming the sending of migrant planes to Martha’s Vineyard, an island in the northeast of the United States frequented by the rich, a highly political gesture aimed at the right.
He is also one of the voices of the “culture wars” that divide the country.
He is very committed to educational issues. This year he signed a law that prohibits the teaching of subjects related to sexual orientation or gender identity in primary schools.
In recent days, his wife Casey DeSantis tweeted a video that has given much to talk about. In the short black and white clip, her husband appears as if he had been invested with a divine mission.
