Ballots are still being counted as American wait on the edge of their seats for the verdict, anticipating either the conservative hoped-for Red Wave or a continuous Democratic hegemony, depending on their party.
Ron DeSantis trounced his Democratic opponent Charlie Crist in Florida’s governor contest on Tuesday night, aided by a massive influx of Republican voters, most notably in the formerly blue city of Miami.
After raising a record-breaking $200 million for his re-election campaign, DeSantis was in a wonderful position entering Tuesday evening. By comparison, Crist only raised roughly $31 million, Politico reported. DeSantis has only spent around $100,000 on his campaign, leaving him with almost $90 million in the bank. According to Politico, the additional $90 million might be utilized for a prospective presidential candidacy in 2024.
“If you look at where the money is coming from, it’s indicative of Gov. DeSantis being seen by national donors as the de facto frontrunner for president,” Republican lobbyist Slater Bayliss said.
“I think people on the left do not think their candidates sell out, and on the right, we think ours cut deals and are more pragmatic,” he said. “Former President Trump’s whole brand on the Republican side was that he does not sell out.”
“Gov. DeSantis has built on that,” he said, “And is taken more seriously by many Republican donors.”
Before Tuesday’s midterm elections, Trump said that he will launch his candidacy for president in 2024 on November 15. Some observers also anticipated that choice to be influenced by Tuesday’s election results, so it is conceivable that Trump will alter his mind.
Former President Trump has been questioned about DeSantis in light of the rumors that he may run for president in 2024. Trump has recently been criticized for making jokes about DeSantis and playing him down, implying that DeSantis is not yet prepared for the national stage. Many consider DeSantis to be a natural for the White House, but not in 2024.
Trump has vocally endorsed DeSantis’ reelection as Florida’s governor, declaring last week at a rally, “the people of Florida are going to reelect the wonderful, the great friend of mine, Marco Rubia, to the United States Senate, and you’re going to reelect Ron DeSantis as your governor.”
But as someone who is expected to throw his hat in the ring in the next presidential election, Trump has also downplayed his fellow Republicans who might be considered against him in primaries. On Saturday in Florida, Trump pointed out his numbers including a jab at DeSantis and his former VP, “We’re winning big, big, big in the Republican Party for the nomination like nobody’s ever seen before. Let’s see, there it is: Trump at 71. Ron DeSanctimonious at 10 percent. Mike Pence at 7 – oh, Mike’s doing better than I thought.”
JUST IN: Donald Trump says he voted for Gov. Ron DeSantis in Floridapic.twitter.com/JirUgib2cr
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 8, 2022
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
The fallout from the jibe has the media creating a feud between the two popular Republicans, but Trump had the answer on Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump gave a brief three-word response on Election Day when he was asked if he cast a ballot for the governor of his home state of Florida, Ron DeSantis. CONTINUE READING…