I remember the 2018 gubernatorial race. However weak Gillum was, he was on the way to being the first black governor of the state of Florida. Remember, this state voted for Obama’s melanin count twice. It was a huge hurdle for any white candidate to overcome. He was also up against the corrupt election officials in the Broward and West Palm Beach counties at that time.
Happily, there were enough votes to overcome any shenanigans that time, but only just enough. The DNC was perhaps a little too reliant on the historical racial aspect, since it worked so well for Obama.
I suppose if it makes some feel better to read such rumors then so be it. However, unnamed sources are hardly reliable, and I’ve seen the same videos used to say something negative about him prove the opposite of what was claimed.
I’ve seen the same videos used to say something negative about him prove the opposite of what was claimed.
or a desantis supporter, saying that’s people’s eyes are lying to them, and that’s not what desantis did.
or would people believe that both desantis and his supporters would lie to them.
Palm Beach and Broward have been corrupt Dem vote generators for decades, but DeSantis's vote count was relatively weak in GOP areas due to an absent DeSantis campaign organization. In 2018, I was getting calls from old GOP friends who wanted to help asking where DeSantis was and who was running his campaign. I had no answer, with even DeSantis's web presence at the time minimal.
As it was, with the benefit of a solid GOP state organization, growing GOP voting base, and ethics issues that began to surface as to Gillum, DeSantis did better in Florida than McCain and Romney did against Obama. That was just enough for DeSantis to win in 2018.
Over the years, I have known candidates like DeSantis who are shy in their campaign effort, governing style, and personality. They may perform well in office but can be a chore to support. Here is one example.
I was once rebuked by a local candidate desperate for campaign cash because I had gotten promises for a large bundle of donations without asking her first but relying instead on the solicitation of her campaign manager to me. Embarrassed, I had to tell the perplexed bundler that the money against an incumbent he and the prospective donors hated was declined. The candidate lost and later apologized to me.
The fundamental problem is that even when drawn to politics or other form of organizational leadership, some personalities are deeply discomfited by the loss of control that such roles necessarily entail. This mismatch between personality and the demands of leadership tends to make them passive, negative types in leadership style.
If that is what the times need, that can be a good thing, with such leaders being innately cautious and calculating, disinclined to adventures and risk. DeSantis seems of that type, but I am not at all sure that is what conservatives and the country need in the 2024 election.
Just as I was for Reagan and his "bold colors, not pale pastels" in 1976 and 1980, I was for Trump in 2016 and 2020 and am for him again in 2024. For me, DeSantis is the spare, not the heir. At least not yet.