Free Republic

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is running ads to promote the impending one-on-one debate against rival Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid their ongoing coast-to-coast feud. "Ron DeSantis is debating Gavin Newsom to highlight the choice facing American voters next year," the talking points added later. The campaign also released ads to promote the debate and encourage voters to "choose their fighter." "Who do you support?" the arcade game-themed advertisement reads.

The goal, according to senior outside advisors, ought to be returning the DOJ and FBI to a more limited “pre-9/11” mission. DeSantis has assembled a brain trust of academics, members of Congress, and former administration officials to draw up step-by-step blueprints for tearing the DOJ and FBI down to the studs for a rebuild. He consults frequently with Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Chip Roy of Texas, conservatives always at war with government bureaucracy and openly hostile to federal power. Steven Bradbury of the Heritage Foundation and Victor Davis Hanson of the Hoover Institution have also joined the working...

While echoing the policies and positions of former President Donald Trump, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis took some veiled shots the runaway GOP primary polling leader – blasting Republicans as having been losers. "We must reject the culture of losing that has infected our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over. We've got to demonstrate the courage to lead and the strength to win." "If we make the 2024 election a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures, and if we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board,"...

When I pressed him on why DeSantis seems so publicly fixated on the MAGA wing of the GOP, Cox was charitable. “It’s a really tough party right now,” he said. “No one else has figured out how to unify and bring the party together. [DeSantis] has clearly made the calculation he needs to be a good alternative for Trump diehard voters out there.” The assumption, other top Republicans say, is that more moderate Republicans like Cox will fall in line with DeSantis because the alternative is Trump. I’m less convinced of that, at least for now. DeSantis may have to...

Governor Ron DeSantis signs legislation to ban a federally adopted central bank digital currency. DeSantis was joined by Commissioner Wilton Simpson and President Kathleen Passidomo at Southwest Florida Public Service Academy at Fort Myers Technical College. Governor Ron DeSantis announced comprehensive legislation to protect Floridians from the Biden administration’s weaponization of the financial sector through a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The legislative proposal protects consumers and businesses from a federally controlled CBDC by: Expressly prohibiting the use of a federally adopted Central Bank Digital Currency as money within Florida’s Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). Instituting protections against a central global...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday signed anti-crime legislation in the Sunshine State, designed to build upon the policies that led to the state’s 50-year record low crime rate. The bill itself builds upon past legislation by, in part, putting in place additional penalties for fentanyl and drug-related crimes and reforming the state’s death penalty statute. DeSantis teased the latter move earlier this year, expressing a desire to reform the death penalty statute by eliminating the need for a unanimous jury decision. Today, I signed legislation that will: – Makes child rapists eligible for the death penalty with the...

With an eye on the 2024 election, young conservative influencers are trying to get a handle on how to reach out to their increasingly alienated generation and pull them back to the Republican Party. Speaking with Newsweek's Katherine Fung, conservative commentator and OutKick podcaster Tomi Lahren, who built her reputation as a staunch defender of Donald Trump, said she is worried about 2024 -- particularly following reports that Joe Biden's digital strategy team is working hand in hand with liberal influencers to reach out to more young voters. "If we want to win [the 2024 election], we're going to have...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dined with Miriam Adelson — former President Trump's top financial backer in 2020 — and other major GOP donors in Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to two sources who attended the dinner. Why it matters: DeSantis, considered Trump's top rival for the GOP nomination, is expected to announce his presidential exploratory committee in the coming weeks. Politico reported in October 2022 that Adelson, widow to the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, told several possible Republican candidates that she plans stay neutral in the 2024 primary. Representatives for Adelson did not respond to a request for comment. DeSantis' campaign...

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill banning most abortions after six weeks, paving the way for drastic changes in access to the procedure across the state. Opponents argue six weeks is before many women know they are pregnant.