One-on-one with Political strategist and former WH Deputy Assistant to President Trump, Jennifer Sevilla
One AmericaDec 23, 2022
US Midterms: DeSantis Beats Crist in Fla. Gov. Race
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Image copyright: AFP/Getty Images [via NBC News]
The Facts
With 99% of expected votes counted as of Wednesday evening, Florida's incumbent governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, was re-elected by a 19.4-point margin over his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist in Tuesday's midterms.
Crist, who served as Florida's 44th Governor from 2007 to 2011 as a Republican, gave a concession speech while surrounded by his family at around 8:30 pm on Tuesday.
The Spin
Republican narrative
DeSantis' policies reflect American principles and must serve as a model for the entire nation. Turning Florida into a refuge of sanity by fighting authoritarianism and "wokeism" has seen him consolidate support and ensure this historic result. This new mandate positions DeSantis as a strong contender for 2024, especially considering the fate of Trump's candidates in the midterm elections.
Democratic narrative
DeSantis's policies during his first governorship should be enough to provoke a major backlash, but Democrats have allowed his re-election by failing to invest in Crist's campaign. Democrats should have done more to target DeSantis and highlight the issues in Florida that he has failed to address — now the new governor will be emboldened to carry out further controversial policies and possibly even run for GOP presidential nomination.
Establishment-critical narrative
DeSantis has performed impressively, but Donald Trump should not be counted out of the 2024 presidential election just yet. Only a fraction of the party faithful that publicly supported Trump through these midterms has peeled off, and his ability to raise campaign funding remains strong. Although DeSantis looks like a convincing presidential nominee, he is yet to prove his appeal beyond the state of Florida — could current commentary be yet another premature declaration of Trump's demise?
