TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The field of GOP contenders looking to challenge President Joe Biden is growing.
On Monday, Republican Sen. Tim Scott kicked off his campaign in South Carolina.
8 On Your Side has learned that sometime this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to officially enter the race. So we decided to take a look back at the governor’s career as he gets ready for the national stage.
In 2018, DeSantis jumped into Florida’s gubernatorial race.
“As governor, I’ll stand up to special interest to clean up our waters and stop the spread of toxic algae,” DeSantis promised in a campaign ad.
He’d served three terms in Congress. Still, the former Navy officer was considered an underdog, before securing President Trump’s endorsement.
On Election Day, we talked with Desantis at a polling site.
“We really worked hard,” DeSantis said. “I’m happy with letting the chips fall where they may.”
DeSantis defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum by a razor thin margin: Less than one percentage point, approximately 32,463 votes.
At his first inauguration, he promised to keep Florida’s taxes low, protect its environment and constitution.
“I will only appoint judges who understand that the proper role of the courts is to apply the constitution as written,” DeSantis said.
Then, COVID hit.
The governor took a different approach than others, resisting mask and vaccine mandates, and keeping kids in class and businesses open.
“We are not letting anyone impose restrictions or mandates,” DeSantis said. “You can make decisions for yourself and your family as you see fit.”
The governor was widely criticized by many public health experts. During that time, he often sparred with reporters.
“We’ve succeeded and I think that people just don’t want to recognize it,” DeSantis said in May 2020.
Those exchanges helped thrust him into the national spotlight.
But what happened next made him a top contender for the White House.
DeSantis clobbered Charlie Crist, winning by nearly 20 percentage points in November 2022.
“We will never surrender to the woke mob, Florida is where woke goes to die,” said DeSantis during his second inauguration.
There are reports that the Biden team is quietly preparing for a DeSantis run.
Biden’s supporters are attacking DeSantis’ dispute with Disney, his crackdown on illegal immigration and the state’s six-week ban on abortion.
DeSantis is also taking hits from his former mentor. Right now, President Donald Trump is the clear primary front-runner.
“The problem with Ron DeSanctimonious is he needs a personality transplant and those are not yet available,” Trump said.
“I think the party has developed a culture of losing,” said DeSantis.
It’s difficult to overstate DeSantis’ victory in November 2022. He flipped Democratic strongholds, including Miami-Dade, and his state PAC raised $226 million.
Right now, some political observers are saying DeSantis is slipping under the new scrutiny, but his supporters say he has plenty of time to sway opinions before the primary.
